Slovak President Pellegrini to Attend NATO Summit in The Hague

Bratislava, 23 June (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini will travel to The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday, June 24, to attend the NATO summit, accompanied in working meetings by Defence Minister Robert Kalinak and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (both from Smer-SD), TASR learnt from the Presidential Office's communication department on Monday. “The main topics of the summit will be current security challenges and strengthening the defence capabilities of member states,” the communication department noted. The discussion will also focus on defence spending. The summit will begin with a joint dinner of heads of states and governments, hosted by the Dutch royal couple, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and on Wednesday (June 25), the Slovak president will speak at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council. The outcome of the summit is expected to be a joint declaration addressing issues of collective defence and defence spending. lin/mcs