The east European country of Slovakia made its presence known in Austin this week, as it hosted a bevy of Slovakian businessmen who were addressed by our Secretary of State. The photo shows Andrej Droba, Slovakian Ambassador to the U.S., with Jane Nelson. Here is what she had to say to prepare the way for a continuing dialogue between Slovakia and Texas:
I am Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson and it is my honor and privilege to welcome all of you to Texas and to South by Southwest.
South by Southwest brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors from around the world. There are over 300,000 people who have come to Austin this week for the event.
We have a full house here in Austin. And it’s exciting.
As Secretary of State, I do serve as the state’s chief protocol officer, and I work closely with partners around the globe that are looking to invest and expand and build here in Texas.
And to them, I have one simple message: There is no better place to do business than right here in Texas. Manufacturing, aerospace, life sciences, semiconductors, from artificial intelligence to clean energy innovation companies are choosing Texas as the place to build what comes next.
Our ports, highways, rail, and international airports connect businesses to the world. Our universities produce top engineering and technical talent in our community’s welcome investment.
But Texas is not just a location. It’s a mindset. Our state motto is friendship. We and I hope you noticed it if you’ve been here more than a day. We’re friendly, just our nature. And it’s genuine – we mean it.
And our values are set. We value hard work, innovation and partnerships that are built on trust and a handshake and long-term vision.
When businesses choose Texas, we work to make their transition seamless and they’re growth sustainable. We want you to succeed. If you succeed, we succeed.
At events like this, I often meet leaders who say, you know, why Texas? Because in Texas, you can move faster. You can build bigger. And you can plan with four long-term with confidence.
South by Southwest celebrates those bold ideas. Texas turns those ideas into thriving enterprises.
I have made great friends from Slovakia, some of them right here in this room right now, and I hope we continue this great partnership, Mr. Ambassador.
I had a business here for over 40 years. I know why people choose to do business here in Texas. It’s a great place to do business. We have the right formula. We welcome you.
We Texas and we want to partner with Slovakia.
We want to come to Slovakia too. We want to be your partner. So, anything we can do to help you, let’s work together, let’s be good partners.
Photo by C. Cunningham: The Slovakian Ambassador the the U.S. presents Texas Sec. of State Jane Nelson with flowers, at the conclusion of her address.