The president of Slovakia, Ivan Gasparovic, will be awarded honorary membership of Cork City Council at a meeting in City Hall on Wednesday.
The visit to Cork by the president and his wife, Silvia, is part of their state trip to Ireland. They arrived in Dublin yesterday and will return home later on Wednesday.
The president is being honoured by Cork in recognition of his role in strengthening the special relationship between the city and Slovakia. Links were forged in May 2004 when Cork welcomed the accession of Slovakia to the European Union.
Slovakia played an important role during Cork's reign as European Capital of Culture in 2005. It was part of the "Enlargement - Bringing the new Europe to Cork" project.
Mr Gasparovic defeated former prime minister Vladimir Meciar in the second round of the presidential elections in April 2004 on the eve of EU entry. Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia until January 1993.
