Slovakia’s commitment to NATO was reaffirmed at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, according to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár of the ruling Smer-SD party. Blanár said the meeting demonstrated the unity of allied countries and confirmed Slovakia’s role as an active member of the alliance. “Slovakia is a firm and active part of NATO and fulfills its commitments. At the same time, we emphasize that every decision in the area of defense must be understandable to citizens and must respect the national interests of the Slovak Republic,” Blanár said. He added that security should not be measured only by defense spending figures, but also by “real capabilities, a modern army, and a strong industrial base.”
During the summit, Blanár also held discussions with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and senior European Union officials, who discussed the current situation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. He also addressed a meeting of NATO foreign ministers with partners from the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. According to Blanár, the talks highlighted the connection between Euro-Atlantic security and developments in NATO’s southern neighborhood. “If we want to prevent crises that may have a direct impact on Europe, it is essential to maintain open and practical dialogue with partners in the region,” he said, describing the Istanbul initiative as an important tool for building trust and stability.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini described the Ankara summit as constructive and said NATO had achieved one of its main goals by demonstrating unity among allies. He said Slovakia had no problem committing to its plan to spend five percent of gross domestic product annually on defense by 2035. Pellegrini also emphasized the importance of strengthening the defense industry, saying that increased military spending requires production capacity capable of using those resources effectively. “For Slovakia, this is again good news, because Slovakia has massively invested in the development of its defense industry in recent years, which is now bringing truly enormous results,” he said.
The summit also focused on support for Ukraine and the future role of European allies as the United States gradually reduces parts of its military presence in Europe. Pellegrini said assistance to Ukraine remains a decision for individual NATO members and that the summit conclusions do not oblige countries to provide military aid. He also announced that Slovakia is prepared to contribute two F-16 fighter jets to help protect Baltic airspace. “This will be our next contribution. We are part of the multinational brigade in Latvia, where next year we will again deploy artillery capabilities together with our Zuzana howitzers, contributing to the protection of the eastern flank directly in the Baltic region,” Pellegrini said.
Opposition parties also welcomed the summit’s conclusions on defense investment while calling for transparency and responsible spending. The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) said Slovakia must invest rationally in its defense capabilities but insisted that increased funding must be strictly controlled and used only to strengthen national security. Progressive Slovakia MP Tomáš Valášek said the summit brought positive developments for Slovakia, noting that European allies and Canada are increasing defense budgets, purchasing new equipment, and expanding military personnel. “All of this is excellent news for Slovakia, because we do not have and will not find a better security guarantee than NATO,” Valášek said. The summit concluded with allied leaders reaffirming their commitment to collective defense and continued support for Ukraine.
Source: TASR
