On the occasion, of the 20th anniversary of Slovakia's accession to the European Union and NATO, President Zuzana Caputova honoured 28 personalities who directly contributed to the accession process or supported the integration efforts of the Slovak Republic. Among them, Rudolf Schuster, Martin Butora, Magdalena Vasryova and Eduard Kukan. Bela Bugar, who was Parliamentary Vice-Chair at the turning points of the accession, called on not forgetting what preceded the accession: “2 weeks prior to the general election in 1998, the Slovak Central Bank announced it had only 50 thousand Slovak crowns in its account. We had to help the country’s economy.”
Former Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda recalls that the most powerful experience for him was to see our flag next to the flags of the richest European countries. “I suddenly realised that we are a country fully equal to the states with the longest run tradition of democracy. I realised that a space is opening up for us to fly in and run along,” Dzurinda stated for RTVS.
President Zuzana Caputova stressed that it is important for Slovakia to be a real, credible and constructive partner in both groupings, not just a partner on paper. “So to continue following the values the protection of which enabled us to enter these groupings. Respect to these values is the bond among us and other members.”
RTVS, Anna Lačoková
