Cultural diplomacy is an integral part of foreign and European politics and is one of the tools for asserting the state's interests. It contributes to developing the attractiveness and credibility of the Slovak Republic throughout the world. Compared to classic diplomacy, the specific attribute of cultural diplomacy is its focus on communication with the foreign public through culture and art. The purpose of cultural diplomacy is to help the positive perception of our country abroad.
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic closely cooperates with the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, based on the Agreement in 2009 between the MFEA SR and Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic in the field of cultural diplomacy and presentation of Slovak art and culture abroad.
The Ministry coordinates Slovak institutes’ activities abroad (Berlin, Budapest, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Rome, Warsaw, and Vienna). Slovak institutes are the organisational part of the MFEA SR and represent the institutional basis for presenting Slovak culture in foreign countries. They perform the presentation of Slovak art and the cultural dimension of diplomacy in practice.
Events of varied genres, such as exhibitions, concerts, discussions, workshops, films, theatre performances, presentations of new books, and many others, introduce the best and most recent from Slovak culture to the foreign public.
The Department of Cultural Diplomacy is responsible for presenting Slovak culture and art abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
Further agendas of the Ministry in the area of Cultural Diplomacy:
- It participates in creating the fundamentals and implementation of bilateral relations in the field of culture, education, science, and research. It helps to create the contractual framework from the point of foreign policy interests and priorities of the Slovak Republic in this field.
- It coordinates the intergovernmental bilateral agreements on cooperation in the field of culture, education, science, research, and sport.
- In cooperation with the relevant government authorities, embassies, and Slovak institutes abroad coordinates and implements the state cultural presentation in foreign countries, participates in international cooperation in the field of culture, and regulates its development from the point of foreign policy interests and priorities.
- It supports and directs the cultural activities of all Slovak diplomatic missions - embassies, permanent missions and the consulate general.
- It prepares the meetings for the directors of the Slovak institutes and the meetings of the Council of the Slovak institutes, where the partner resorts, and institutions are represented.
- It is responsible for the cooperation within multilateral cultural groupings (VF - Visegrad Fund, EUNIC -European Union National Institutes for Culture, ASEF - Asia-Europe, PCCE - Platform Culture Central Europe, Eastern Partnership Platform, etc.).
Further agendas of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy:
- It cooperates with the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic in the field of educational and scientific agenda.
- It participates in creating and ensuring the completion of the scholarship policy of the Slovak Republic.
- It coordinates of the Joint Slovak-Austrian Committee in the field of culture, education, and science and the Intergovernmental Slovak-Ukrainian Committee for national minorities, education, and culture.
- It cooperates in the area of the state and government honours.
- It coordinates the questions regarding Slovak citizens abroad within the resort.
- It is also a coordinator for this agenda in cooperation with the Office for Slovaks living abroad.
- It cooperates with Slovaks living abroad especially through the embassies and consular posts.
