Slovak Republic : 10 years in NATO

The Slovak Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) on 29 March 2004. Slovakia's integration into NATO was, together with its entry into the European Union and the OECD, among the strategic foreign policy priorities of the Slovak Republic since its establishment. “We consider our entry into the North Atlantic Alliance as one of the key historic milestones of our young state. Slovakia is and will remain, even in the future, a reliable NATO partner, one duly discharging its obligations,” said Miroslav Lajčák, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and EU Affairs Minister, in his statement to mark the 10th anniversary of the country's entry into NATO. He went on to say that NATO membership provided optimum external conditions for Slovakia's further comprehensive development and that NATO continues to be the main guarantor of its security. Thus, Slovakia anchored itself in a community of most developed countries that share the common values of democracy, an individual's rights and freedoms, and the rule of law.

“With its entry into the North Atlantic Alliance, the Slovak Republic became a member of an elite community which has, for the past 10 years, ensured the highest guarantee – the assurance to assist us in case our country is militarily attacked. We conclude, unanimously, that our membership in NATO has strengthened our security. This particularly creates the prerequisites for investment and a more prosperous society as a whole,” said SVK Defence Minister Martin Glváč. Also, our membership has decisively impacted on the changing characteristics of the SVK Armed Forces. “Our fully professional Armed Forces constitute a significant element in domestic crisis management and are an equal ally in respect of their engagement in international crisis management operations. Thousands of Slovak service personnel have so far been operationally committed abroad and our foreign partners highly appreciate their work,” emphasized the head of the SVK MOD.

Since its entry into NATO the Slovak Republic has sought not only to capitalize on the benefits that NATO membership brings with itself but also to contribute to delivering security in favour of all NATO members. Towards this end, we have participated in NATO's political discussions and decision-making, common defence planning processes, and NATO-led international crisis management missions and operations. Even today the Slovak Republic is actively involved in all of NATO's decisive processes, whether that be the attempts to find an optimum response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine or the preparations for this September's NATO Summit in Wales.

The Slovak Republic is illustrative of the success of NATO's open-door policy and an advocate for furthering NATO´s continuity.