One of the most awaited results of Thursday's NATO summit in Brussels is the decision by the Allies as to whether to involve the organization in the fight against Islamic State terrorists in Syria. According to security analysts, such involvement would above all be a political signal of unity, which is especially significant following Monday's terrorist attack in Manchester, for which IS has already claimed responsibility. With the US president Donald Trump taking part in the summit, the European allies also want to strengthen their case that NATO is not an outdated institution, and that Americans should continue their interest in its functioning.
Representing Slovakia at the summit is president Andrej Kiska, who is due to present specific moves approved by the Government earlier in May, including the dispatch of 150 soldiers to Latvia for one year as part of moves to strengthen NATO's presence in the Baltic. As a contribution to the fight against terrorism, Slovakia will send 47 soldiers to Iraq to train Iraqi demining and equipment maintenance specialists. In addition, Slovak Special Forces and members of the military police will take part in training the local security forces. The Slovak president will reiterate Slovakia's commitment to allocate 1.6 percent of its GDP annually for defence by the end of 2020, as already approved by Parliament. In addition, Slovakia will continue to lead the NATO Trust Fund for Ukraine in demining and ordnance disposal, as well as remaining part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
