Slovak Republic Has Arrived Embassies undoubtedly feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when they unveil their new chanceries to the public. Sometimes, however, the opening of a new chancery building can be a truly historic event. That was the sense many guests at the opening reception of the new Slovak chancery on June 8 felt when Ambassador Martin Butora, flanked by his prime minister and foreign minister, announced that the building is the first permanent establishment erected by the newly independent nation of Slovakia and a metaphor for a new era in U.S.-Slovak relations. Entering the huge, glass-encased lobby of the chancery on International Drive, one gets the feeling that the Slovak Republic has finally arrived. Economic stagnation and political instability followed its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993. And unlike its former partner, the Czech Republic, this old industrial center had greater trouble moving to a market economy after the fall of communism. Slovakiaís problems were further compounded by a sometimes rocky relationship with the United States. Speaking to the hundreds of guests gathered at the embassy, Ambassador Butora signaled with marked emotion that the Slovak future has never looked brighter. He was par ticularly pleased that the opening of the chancery coincided with the first trip by Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda and Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan to the United States. Terming the visit a great success, the ambassador remarked that their meetings with President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other U.S. officials produced a new respect between the two nations and a new dedication to cooperate on security and economic issues in Eastern Europe. Embassy officials stressed that the new chancery was the fruit borne of the labors of all Slovakians. The building was designed by the Slovak team of Bogar Fischer Kralik Lizon Urban, and constructed by MDC Builders. It consists of three, interconnected architectural volumes designed to showcase traditional Slovak functionalism with an open and inviting modern style. At a cost of $5 million U.S., embassy officials noted that the price tag was symbolic, and that each of Slovakiaís 5 million citizens invested $1 in the building. ó Nickolas Theros