The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry has 41 economic diplomats stationed abroad and intends to increase this number to 43, said Foreign Ministry State Secretary Rastislav Chovanec at a press conference in the village of Demanovska Dolina (Zilina region) on Tuesday. He added that it's precisely through economic diplomacy that the ministry aims to help Slovak entrepreneurs and companies establish themselves abroad and gain new market shares.
More than 600 organisations gathered in Demanovska Dolina during the event, titled the 'Export Forum', which focuses on economic diplomacy.
"For our ministry, economic diplomacy is one of our strategic priorities. After all, today all major conflicts revolve around the economy, and the economic and political interests of countries essentially overlap," said Chovanec. He added that at the Export Forum companies can establish contact with several ministry representatives working abroad, enabling them to obtain better answers to their questions about whether a particular country is of interest to them from a business perspective, or what they should do in order to be successful on that market.
"If an entrepreneur believes that they can make their mark in a particular country, then there are economic diplomats, people who are familiar with the business environment in question and can put them in touch with a potential partner, or help them to operate on that market, organise a presentation or assist them in establishing themselves," said the state secretary. According to him, from the point of view of diversification and stabilisation, it is beneficial for a company to operate on several markets; if the situation is more difficult on one, it can succeed in another, and this creates stability for the company.
Economic diplomats abroad can also help Slovak companies when vetting potential partners, added Chovanec.
