Tiny Slovakia set to host major summit

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Slovakia, a small Central European state that has rarely found itself in the spotlight, will draw the world's attention this week when it hosts a meeting between two of the world's most powerful leaders: U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Bush and Putin will meet at a castle in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava to discuss languishing democracy in Russia and cooperation on a wide range of issues, including terrorism and North Korea's nuclear program.

During the summit at Bratislava Castle, the two leaders are expected to sign an accord on stopping the spread of portable antiaircraft missiles.

But the question is, why Bratislava?

Slovakian Ambassador to Indonesia Peter Holasek said Bratislava was the most suitable place for the Putin-Bush summit, given Slovakia's close ties with both Washington and Moscow.

"In my country, we have a saying: 'A guest in the house is like God in the house.' For the 500,000 people of Bratislava, it will be a rare opportunity to show their hospitality to such high-profile guests," Holasek told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Though the process behind the selection of the Slovakian capital remains unknown, Bratislava was clearly acceptable to the former Cold War foes, who make a habit of meeting in small states rather than on home ground.

In the past, the U.S. and Russian leaders have met in Vienna (Austria), Geneva (Switzerland), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Helsinki (Finland). Bush and Putin held their first summit in 2001 in Slovenia, another small European state.

It seems Bush was particularly eager to hold this summit in Slovakia, a nation of 5.4 million people.

"The Americans wanted a country that would symbolize the expansion of NATO and the European Union," Janusz Reiter, an international relations expert from Poland, told Reuters recently.

Slovakian Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda proudly acknowledged his country's ties with Washington.

"Slovakia is a loyal and a solid ally of the United States and the democratic community," Dzurinda said.

Holasek said Slovakia, which joined NATO and the EU in 2004, and the U.S. jointly proposed Bratislava as the venue for the summit to Russia, with whom Slovakia also has excellent relations.

"At the same time, Slovakia is neutral enough, doesn't have its own great political aspirations, and hence was acceptable to Russia," Reiter, who is also the head of the Warsaw-based Center for International Relations, said.

Holasek said his country was making every effort to ensure the success of the summit.

"We have made extensive preparations. Our highest leaders are involved in supervising the preparations. The security will be very tight," he said.

About 1,200 journalists from around the world have registered to cover the event, which will cost Slovakia about US$8 million.

Many observers believe Bush may question Putin over democratic reforms in private rather than in public, fearing public criticism could backfire. The U.S. president is also expected to seek Russian cooperation on Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, North Korea and Syria, as well as the fight against terrorism.

"We have been very clear with Russia that we have concerns about the internal developments there. We have also been clear that we think the isolation of Russia would be a mistake," AFP quoted U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as saying last week.

Russia has increasingly shown its irritation over the "lectures" on democracy from the Bush administration.

"The notion of democracy is not exactly one of a potato that can be transplanted from one field to another," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a recent security conference in Munich.