Chargé d'Affaires of the Slovak Republic in Czechia Soňa Budayová has been working in diplomatic services for nearly thirty years. She has held positions in permanent missions to the UN and NATO and has experienced first-hand the environment in embassies across various nations. She sees her current posting not only as a new milestone but also as a major privilege.
You are essentially the head of the Slovak representative office in Prague. Does this posting represent the culmination of your diplomatic career up until now?
Working at the embassy in Prague is chiefly a major privilege for me as well as my other Slovak colleagues. Czechia is our closest neighbor and a country with which we have truly exceptional and intense relations. The work of Slovak diplomats in Prague may come across as a rather laid-back posting – after all, it does mean working in a country that is very close to ours in language and culture. The opposite is true, however. Our relations with Czechia are excellent today, which comes with a unique intensity of relations on all levels and the subsequent importance that the local embassy holds for Slovakia. So yes, in this sense you could say that leading the Prague representative office is a valuable career milestone that goes hand in hand with major responsibility.
You've held a similar position in Switzerland. How does such a rich nation view countries like Czechia and Slovakia? Does it see us as equal partners now?
The way that Switzerland sees our countries has certainly improved over the last three decades. As you already alluded to in your question however, the differences in living standards and financial wealth are still visible. On the other hand, both our countries have something to offer and even the Swiss are aware of that today.
How did the Russian aggression against Ukraine change Czecho-Slovak relations? Did it bring us closer together still?
Undoubtedly. Russia attacking a sovereign state in our close proximity and bringing a devastating war back to Europe was a big shock for us that ended up bringing not only Czechia and Slovakia that much closer but also the European Union and the transatlantic community to a great degree. We were able to quickly bolster Czecho-Slovak cooperation in places where the new circumstances warranted it. Not only in political matters and in pushing our common stance in reaction to the Russian aggression. We made major steps forward in strengthening our defense cooperation, for instance. Just last year, Czechia took over the leadership of a multi-national military operation in Slovakia tasked with bolstering the defenses of NATO's eastern wing, which we are very appreciative of.
Does the Slovak embassy have any estimates as to how many people who were born in Slovakia now live in Czechia? Could it be more than a million, which is a number sometimes touted?
Slovaks are the largest national minority in Czechia according to the latest census. There are roughly 150 thousand of our countrymen in Czechia who have Czech citizenship while also claiming Slovak nationality. Besides them, there are roughly 215 thousand Slovak people living in Czechia, primarily due to work, and some 22 thousand Slovak students. That makes up a rather large number but I think a million is a little blown out of proportion.
Does Slovakia still look to Czechia for an example, or have things changed in the last ten, fifteen years?
I would say that Slovakia has always viewed Czechia as more of a big brother. As things often go between siblings, the younger one usually tries to be different than the older, to step out of their shadow. We'd gone through this phase thirty years ago and our relations are currently better than they've ever been. So yes, there are areas where Czechia can be, and certainly even is, an example for us, but we're also trying to look for inspiration elsewhere. On the other hand, I believe that despite Slovakia, as a young state, having had an objectively worse starting point than Czechia, there are areas today where Czechia could learn a little something from us.
The new Czech ambassador to Slovakia Rudolf Jindrák wants to bring Czecho-Slovak relations back to the exceptional level they were at following the year 2000. What area of our relations could do with some improvement in your view?
Improving cooperation in specific areas is certainly important, but we should primarily focus on not letting our relations become routine. The relationship between Czechia and Slovakia is unique the world over in many aspects. Not only is our history of a shared state and its peaceful separation unique but so is our cultural and language proximity and our close relations on a political as well as an interpersonal level. Both our countries can only benefit from good mutual relations but, same as any other relationship, it needs work. Nowadays, with the younger generation that didn't experience Czechoslovakia, for instance, we can see a gradual decline in mutual language understanding, which we older folk consider absolutely natural. It wouldn't be good if we were forced to communicate via interpreters or in English in the future. That's one of the reasons why strengthening relations and mutual interest is an important task for us. We can absolutely agree on that with Ambassador Jindrák.
A lot of young Slovak people are studying at Czech universities. Is it a bonus for Slovakia or is it a case of intellectual one-upmanship?
That is a phenomenon we are very aware of, of course. Talented students whom universities are interested in leave to go study in foreign countries, including Czechia. On the other hand, it's absolutely a bonus when students gain experience living and studying outside of their home country. Besides making our universities more enticing, Slovakia also needs to work on being able to attract graduates from foreign schools back home.
Are there any places that have grown close to your heart in and outside of Prague?
I used to come to Prague from time to time as a student and I remember that the city has always had a special kind of magic for me. There are very few people who don't fall in love with Prague, so I feel truly happy to be able to spend several years of my life here and get to know better not only the capital but also other parts of Czechia. In our nomadic way of life, it often happens that one doesn't get to travel around places in their immediate vicinity unless one actually works in a neighboring country. That's why I'm making up for lost time now. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the Old Town in Prague and besides that, to nobody's surprise, I was taken with Český Krumlov, for instance.
Do you like traditional Czech food like pork, dumplings, and cabbage with a Pilsner or do you prefer the part of Czech cuisine that's more sparing on the waistline and health?
I do go for Czech traditional food with a good beer from time to time but I must admit that I have yet to discover the healthier side of traditional Czech cuisine. What I do like, however, are the various projects of young Czech chefs in Prague and across the country who have often come back from abroad with experience forming their own style and who are unafraid to put a modern twist on Czech meals.
The author is a European editor of Deník
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Soňa Budayová (born November 1962) is the Slovak chargé d'affaires in Czechia.
She graduated from the Comenius University Bratislava Faculty of Philosophy and later the Faculty of Law. In 1994, she started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was dispatched to the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Finland a mere two years later.
From 2011, she served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – a year as the EU deputy, four years in Brussels as part of the Slovak permanent mission to the UN, a year as the UN deputy, and ultimately between 2008 and 2012 on the permanent mission to the UN in Geneva.
Budayová subsequently worked for the Ministry in Malaysia, Kuwait, and Switzerland among others.
In 2021, she started at the Slovak embassy in Prague and was tasked with leading it a year later.
With President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva.
With former Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs Rastislav Káčer.
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