"I congratulate Donald Trump for winning the elections," reads a statement issued by Slovak President Andrej Kiska on Wednesday (9-11) to President-elect Donald Trump. "The United States is an important partner and ally of Slovakia and the European Union. I consider it important that it remain so in the future," added Kiska.

After a divisive and unpredictable election race, the Republican candidate Donald Trump claimed victory over rival Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. Pre-election polls had consistently shown Clinton holding a narrow but consistent advantage in the leading up to the election, however as votes were counted on Tuesday night (8-11) the polls revealed themselves to be inaccurate indicators of the outcome.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also congratulated Donald Trump on his election success during a press conference on Wednesday morning.

"The world and Slovakia are completely different to what the media portrays. This was clearly demonstrated in the elections of the United States of America. We must all listen to the people; this fact the United States clearly showed. I congratulate the new American president. As Prime Minister of Slovakia, I fully respect the decision of the citizens of America,"

Said Prime Minister Fico.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Donald Trump on his election win in a telegram. "I hope for cooperation and improved Russian-American relations, which are strained at present, and a common procedure on important international issues and responses to the current global security threats," wrote Putin.

The governing coalition party Most-Hid fully respects the decision of the American electorate. For Slovakia this is to be particularly relevant in the area of Donald Trump's foreign policy and therefore the US relationship with NATO and the EU. "Donald Trump's victory in the US election could end the war in Syria faster than in the case of a victory for Hillary Clinton. Trump will seek an agreement with Russia to end the war," said Richard Sulík, the chairman of the opposition party Freedom and Solidarity.

Analysts are more cautious, however. Jaroslav Nad', the director of the Slovak Institute for Security Policy (SSPI), says that the program of the newly elected President of the United States of America Donald Trump in the field of defence and security is not bad. The question is to what extent it will be implemented and what kind of relationship will be established between the United States and Europe and between the United States and the Russian Federation. He expects them to repeat the scenario of previous US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, which saw positive attitudes towards Russia and President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of their terms. "Finally, after a few years they have found that such a policy does not work and they began to be tougher. I expect exactly the same scenario in the case of Trump," concluded Nad'. Dalibor Roháč from the American Enterprise Institute in Washington thinks the world is entering "unknown and dangerous waters". In his opinion Slovakia's priority must be to remain within the liberal democratic mainstream of Europe and not to get into the Russian sphere of influence. "And more than ever, it is essential for Europe to have a common foreign and security policy, which does not rely on the fact that we, if necessary, will come running to ask for help from the United States," said Roháč.

Gavin Shoebridge, Photo: AP/TASR