On Wednesday March 29, Slovakia commemorates joining NATO. Thirteen years ago, in 2004, the country became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, alongside Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. Entering NATO brought increased security to the country with the collective defence being included in Article 5 of the Washington Agreement. On the other hand, by joining the alliance Slovakia committed to both individual and collective development of defence. Throughout these thirteen years, thousands of Slovak soldiers have taken part in NATO operations, having earned experience from both military and non-military crisis situations in international environment.
Mojmir Prochazka, Photo: AP/TASR
