At its summit in Madrid on Wednesday, NATO decided to invite Finland and Sweden to join its ranks, agreeing to sign the accession protocols with the two countries. Slovak President Zuzana Caputova welcomes the decision, emphasising that Stockholm and Helsinki made this decision in reaction to the war in Ukraine. "Vladimir Putin wanted to divide and weaken Europe, yet all he has managed to accomplish is to strengthen us, reinforce us with two new members and make us more united than ever," she posted on a social network. According to chief of Slovak diplomacy Ivan Korcok, the decision by Sweden and Finland to join NATO is an epochal moment. In this context, Korcok recalled the NATO summit in Madrid back in July 1997, when Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary but not Slovakia had been invited to join the Alliance. “With Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Slovakia will become stronger”, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad declared on Wednesday. The Slovak defence minister added that Helsinki's and Stockholm's interest to join NATO is an enormous gesture that reflects on the Alliance's values and justifies its existence.
While in Madrid, President Caputova invited her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to visit Slovakia.
Source: TASR
