Slovakia has been an active member of NATO in the 20 years since it joined the alliance, said permanent representative Peter Bator. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, Bator said in an interview with TASR that Slovakia’s soldiers participated in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and even training missions in Iraq.
Slovakia has always welcomed new members, and helped ease the entry of Montenegro and North Macedonia into the alliance.
Slovakia undersigned the statement in 2008 which opened the door to Georgia and Ukraine. Repeated statements by Prime Minister Robert Fico that Slovakia would not support Ukraine's accession to NATO do not resonate in the Alliance, he said. In fact, the signature of the Slovak President in 2008 is what counts, and Slovakia has confirmed this decision at every other NATO summit it has attended, said Bator.
"What was said in Vilnius last year was not whether Ukraine will become a member, that question has been answered, but we have moved forward on the second of the three questions. How, under what conditions will Ukraine become a member. The third question remains unanswered - when," the ambassador explained.
He added that when it happens, each member state will have its sovereign right to agree or not and ratify the new country's membership through their national parliaments.
(TASR)
