The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Slovakia is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative to the Slovak Republic. Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. From then until 1994 David Brighty, who had been British ambassador to Czechoslovakia, continued as both ambassador to the new Czech Republic and also non-resident ambassador to Slovakia. In 1994 David Brighty was replaced and Michael Bates, who had been chargé d'affaires in Bratislava, became the first resident Ambassador to Slovakia.