President Ivan Gasparovic set off today 19 November for a NATO summit in Lisbon taking place today and tomorrow.
The Slovak delegation also includes foreign affairs minister Mikulas Dzurinda, defence minister Lubomir Galko, the Slovak plenipotentiary to NATO Frantisek Kasicky and Chief-of-General-Staff Lubomir Bulik.
Key issues on the agenda include security challenges, global development and the future of NATO, with speeches also by US president Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
A sensitive issue will be the NATO missile defence shield, which is why NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, feels this summit will be one of the most important for NATO to date. This system will constitute a crucial element in NATO’s strategic concept for the next ten years.
The NATO summit also hopes to establish a fresh start with Russia in building a sustainable long-term strategic partnership.