Slovak embassy in New York gets its own building

After 26 years, the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in Manhatten finally has its own building, one that formerly belonged to a Slovak. For the first time a Slovak flag will hang outside of an embassy in New York. "When you walk through Manhattan, you see the Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Estonian flags and you wonder: why can't there be a Slovak flag?" said Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák, at the official inauguration of the new embassy premises. He added that the building should be put into full operation within a few months, after the further refurbishment needed to meet the EU's Schengen visa system criteria. According to the building's previous owner Ján Vilček, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century and originally served as stables for wealthy people, with the horses residing on the ground floor.