15 years since NATO accession

On Friday, Defence Ministry commemorated the 15^th anniversary of Slovakia's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement reiterating that NATO is the most reliable and economical safeguard of the Slovak Republic's security. "We point out that the NATO is a defence organization that puts emphasis on trustworthy determent and armed conflict prevention. In this regard, the ministry stressed that Slovakia bears its share of political responsibility, and financial and personal burden. "Slovakia is ready to provide the same support it expects from the allies in the case of a threat," it noted. The Slovak Republic became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004. "Accession to NATO meant more than increasing the level of our security. It was an expression that we belong to the most developed democracies in the world," reads the Foreign Ministry's statement. Marking the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Slovakia's accession to NATO, President Andrej Kiska stated on a social network on Friday that Slovakia is currently a prosperous and secure country partly thanks to the organisation. In honour of the anniversary, the NATO flag is flying in front of the Presidential Palace for the first time, and it will remain for there for 24 hours.