The Defence Ministry commemorated the 30th anniversary of Slovakia's independence and the creation of the Slovak Armed Forces at a ceremony held on Monday, attended by President and Commander-in-chief Zuzana Caputova, interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger and Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad. Also invited to the ceremony were previous defence ministers. "Over the past three decades, the Slovak Armed Forces have become a firm and stabilising component of our homeland. With great professionalism, you helped with the pandemic, the protection of our borders but also with the handling of the influx of refugees fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine," the President declared in her speech addressing the soldiers. Caputova pointed to the high level of public trust enjoyed by the military and the fact that the commemoration is held on the back of the Russian aggression, which accentuates its critical importance. She emphasised that the new security reality has only confirmed that the decision to join NATO was the right one. Eduard Heger underlined the importance of the armed forces. "If we wish for our freedom and the rule of law to continue, we need to ensure, first and foremost, our security," he said and added that this was achieved by the passing of defence and security strategy, the defence agreement with the United States, more than 100 modernisation projects as well as the spending of two percent of GDP on defence. Heger also emphasised the aid from NATO allies to Slovakia as well as the Slovak aid to Ukraine. Defence Minister Nad called Slovakia's joining of NATO one of the most important milestones in Slovakia's history.
Source: TASR
