Ivan Gašparovič also met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the UN headquarters. The Secretary-General thanked Slovakia for its support to, and active engagement in the UN’s efforts and activities. “We count on Slovakia to support us and create a positive trend to follow,” Ban Ki-moon told President Gašparovič. He further said that the UN continued relying on Slovakia’s as well as European Union’s support in humanitarian aid. President Ivan Gašparovič reiterated that the current situation in Syria required a compromise solution. “Any solution, assisted by the UN, involving the use of weapons and possible human casualties is inadmissible,” the Slovak President emphasised. He made it clear that Syria was in need of a peaceful solution secured by diplomatic means.

Along with the presidents of Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Latvia and Estonia, Ivan Gašparovič attended a mini-summit on Ukraine’s European prospects. The meeting of Central and Eastern European members of the European Union was also addressed by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Ivan Gašparovič noted that Ukraine was a European country belonging to our political and cultural realm. “In this context, we have long supported political convergence and economic integration of Ukraine as a European country into the EU, provided that Ukraine respects EU’s values and rules,” Ivan Gašparovič said.

Ivan Gašparovič also held a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Tomislav Nikolić. The Slovak President reiterated that Slovakia had not changed its position on the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo but that it wished to see the relationships between Serbia and Kosovo stabilised. He added he believed that Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU would not focus on the Kosovo issue only.

As part of his official programme in the US, President Gašparovič visited the New York Stock Exchange on 26 September, and rang The Opening Bell to launch a new trading day on the stock exchange. The Opening Bell and The Closing Bell have been used at the New York Stock Exchange since 1985; they are usually rung by prominent political, economic and public figures.

Later on, the Slovak head of state visited the United States Military Academy at West Point, the State of New York, one of the most prestigious military universities worldwide. The President was familiarised with the mission of the West Point Academy and attended a formal muster of cadets during which, as is the tradition at the Academy, he granted amnesty to cadets with outstanding walking hours by which he released all cadets with outstanding hours from the remainder of their assigned tours.

Ivan Gašparovič also enjoyed the opportunity to meet the Slovak community in Hampton Bays, and attended the 36th annual Slovak Heritage Festival in Holmdel, New Jersey.