Bush, Putin to Hold Summit in Bratislava, Slovakia Feb 24

Summit Logo UPDATED Feb 23, 2005 (BratislavaGuide.com) - US President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in the Bratislava Castle on February 24, 2005.

Preparations at the castle have been underway since early February. Russian and American security experts visited the castle at the end of January to assess whether it is suitable to host the summit. Alternative venues to be considered if the castle fails to meet requirements include the Reduta building of the Slovak Philharmony and a number of other Bratislava palaces but the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Slovak side only offered the one location to counterparts.

The Bush-Putin Summit will be a part of Bush's tour of European countries aimed at patching up some of the strained relationships, mainly due to disagreements over US actions in Iraq. On the agenda, the two parties should conclude an agreement on exchange of information on blackmarket missiles - the so-called man-portable air defence systems (MANPAD).

The meeting is expected to take four hours. Both presidents will, according to press reports, be accompanied by their wives and respective foreign ministers Condoleezza Rice and Sergei Laryonov.

President Bush will arrive in Bratislava one day prior to the meeting on February 23rd, while President Putin will stay on for an extra day on the 25th. President Putin will also carry out a state visit of Slovakia after the Summit.

"As you know, Vladimir Putin and I have a good relationship. Starting with our meeting...I intend to keep it that way. It's important for Russia and the United States to have the kind of relationship where if we disagree with decisions we can do so in a friendly and positive way," Bush was quoted as saying on December 20.

"Security measures will be the largest we have ever seen, since Slovakia has never experienced such a meeting before," Slovak Interior Minister Vladimir Palko was quoted as saying. The tight security measures will limit visitors and inhabitants alike. Due to the size of both presidents' accompanying staff, shortages of accommodation in city centre hotels can be expected for most of the month of February.

Local officials have received several notifications of planned demonstrations by unspecified groups. As of February 2, 2005, the Slovak police have tightened checks at the border. Travelers who appear on a variety of lists of suspicious persons (anarchists, anti-globalists) may be turned down at the border similarly to the experience during the June 2004 NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which took place in Bratislava. The police have shown then they clearly prefer to err on the side of caution, even at the risk of violating individual rights.

The Slovak Government said on February 9 that the cost of the visit would be over SKK 300 million (about EUR 8 million) and over 5,500 police and 400 firefighting personnel would be involved. The cost includes wages of police and firefighters as well as new vehicles and other equipment. The skies will be guarded by the Slovak Airforce's Mig-29 fighter jets with five craft ready for deployment. In addition, the Slovak Army will provide 400 soldiers, four armoured vehicles and a mobile air analysis lab.

The Bratislava Airport purchased two new elevating stair platforms, as the Airport usually does not handle planes the size of President Bush's Boeing 747. The Airport, according to the daily SME, may be completely closed to the public during the landing of presidential aircraft.

We strongly recommend that visitors who are able to do so reschedule trips to Bratislava overlapping with the summit. The official summit website can be found at www.slovaksummit.sk. Hotel accommodation can be booked at www.bratislavahotels.com.