Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy 2019

Thirty years ago, when the Iron Curtain came down and the region was swept up in euphoria, the Slovaks and Czechs, along with many in the free world, expected progress would be linear and positive, bringing enduring stability and prosperity. The events of recent years have proved us wrong and 2019 was no exception in this regard.

Political, economic and technological change led to tectonic shifts in foreign and security policy across the world. The global order is being transformed. We are still in the middle of this process and it is difficult to define its parameters. We cannot say with any certainty when and how it will end. We do not know what the human and material costs will ultimately be. But we know that it is happening. We know that we are in the middle of a geopolitical and geoeconomic transformation. And we all find navigating these shifts difficult.

Slovak foreign policy has stood up to these challenges by engaging, by being responsible and by having a clear strategy. As a result, we have no enemies and no significant unresolved issues with any country in the world. Slovak foreign policy has remained consistent and defended its principles. In an unpredictable world, Slovakia has remained a predictable and reliable partner. (M. Lajčák)