The new permanent representative of the Slovak Republic to the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) will be Marek Varga, a former ambassador to Lebanon and other countries of the Middle East. Mr. Varga will replace Peter Bátor. "In addition to the effective management of our employees, my priorities will include building a departmental expert base and ensuring the cooperation of all departments involved," said Varga.
Before leaving for the mission, Varga was received on Tuesday by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD). He emphasized that NATO is primarily a defense and peace organization that provides its members with guarantees of collective security and that any international disputes should be resolved by peaceful means as a priority. "For 20 years, the Slovak Republic has been a reliable and successful ally that supports the fulfillment of obligations arising from our membership in the Alliance," he concluded.
According to the minister, attention is currently focused on the July summit in Washington, which is the most important meeting of the top leaders of NATO member states. The main goals of the summit will be to strengthen the eastern wing of the North Atlantic Alliance, including air and missile defense and increasing the level of defense investments. Slovakia has been a member of the Alliance since March 29, 2004. Slovak interests are promoted in its bodies by the Slovak permanent delegation to NATO headed by a permanent representative. Currently, 133 members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic are active in the operations, missions and activities of the Alliance.
Source: TASR
