Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy 2002

In 2003, the fourth volume of the Yearbook of Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic has been published. This fact confirms that this publication presenting the state and development of Slovak foreign policy from the point of view of its prime actors, experts and analysts has found its readers and the position among the book products concerning the issue of foreign policy. Its fundamental aim, to become the contemporary source of information, to register the development in the field of foreign policy in the periods of crucial importance for Slovakia, as well as in the consequential period characterised by the effort to set the tradition of regular evaluation of the Slovak foreign policy through the presentations and specification of its tasks in its whole complexity, has obviously been fulfilled. It is confirmed above all by an interest rendered to the previous volumes of the Yearbook.

Our ambition is to continue in publishing of this publication and thus widen the information resources in the field of foreign policy of the Slovak Republic. The presented Yearbook consists of the contributions read at the 4th Evaluation Conference, held on March 28, 2003 entitled Achievements of the Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic in 2002 and offers evaluation of the very important period – the last year of M. Dzurinda’s government, the election year, the year of evident achievements in Euro Atlantic integration. The well-known structure of this publication is, in these intentions, widened to include the documents concerning the Prague NATO Summit, in respect to its historic significance for the Slovak Republic.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation financially supported the Conference, as in previous years. We most of all thank to Mr. Frank Spengler, the director of its office and his deputy Ms. Agáta Pešková. It would not be possible to organise the Conference without concentrated work of the SIIS employees and the students of the various Universities. Publishing of the Yearbook of Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic 2002 was financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. It would not be possible to publish the Yearbook without responsible work of Ms. Katarína Žáková and Mr. Peter Brezáni. Special thanks belong to the consultant of this publication Mr. Štefan Šebesta.