Heads up – Embassy 4 – January 2008

Slovakia – The raving Ambassador

Art house movie buff, human rights lawyer and clubbing enthusiast Juraj Zervan couldn’t stay away from London too long.

Slovakia’s new Ambassador to the UK did his first tour of duty at the Slovak Embassy in London (2002-06), returning to the Slovak Foreign Ministry in 2006, and serving briefly
as shadow foreign minister for the SMER-Social Democracy party.

A specialist in minority rights whose cultural hero is Mahatma Gandhi, Zervan feels at home in multicultural metropoles, having emigrated to Canada before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

That means he’s well placed to defend the rights of the 150,000-strong Slovak minority now living in the UK.

The large influx since 2004 has prompted the Embassy to quadruple its consular staff and modernise operations, says the Ambassador. Now there are ambitious plans to build a new consular and visa department that meets Schengen security requirements, he adds.

Entering the Schengen Area last December was historic for Slovakia, but the Embassy is bracing itself for the inevitable ‘visa shoppers’ well known to Schengen consulates. “Slovakia will probably have to deal with an increased number of people assuming that they can get the visa somewhat easier, or even enter the country illegally, especially on its Eastern border," he says. But we are ready to meet our share of responsibilities to the required standards.”

Despite immigration hysteria dominating British headlines, the Ambassador says Britain has always “embraced all the waves of Slovak immigration” and has offered them “opportunities, freedom and safety”.

But it’s a partnership, he continues, and Slovaks have given back much to British society too. “They bring with them their knowledge and skills, enthusiasm, intellectual effort, enriching the culture, with a real impact on the country.”

The community will help him deepen Slovakia’s relationship with Britain, both economically and culturally, he says. His other top priority is for Slovakia and Britain to be good partners in Europe and NATO.

It’s a full brief, but as an art house movie fan who once worked for the Slovak Film Institute, Ambassador Zervan is determined to make time to visit the National Film Theatre. He also likes to unwind by feeding birds in London’s Royal Parks – and to go raving with his wife and her five friends, surely a first for an Ambassador.