Ivan Gašparovič attended the summit of heads of states and governments of NATO member countries in Lisbon, Portugal.

The North Atlantic Council discussed current security challenges, global development and the future of the Alliance. Among the participants of the NATO summit were also US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, EU representatives, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The most important issue on the agenda of the NATO summit was the strategic NATO concept for the next ten years and discussions on an overall NATO reform.
Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič said that “the present times require that the Alliance reassess its activities and get ready for new security threats. The 21st century with a potential risk of high-tech terrorist attacks has forced the Alliance to be much better prepared to protect its members, as well as to safeguard peace on our planet and make sure that danger and fear among people do not prevail.” In his opinion, the Alliance is seen globally as “a safe shield which is capable of accepting cooperation”. According to Gašparovič, this proves that the Alliance also wants to cooperate with other countries.

Ivan Gašparovič also met with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the Lisbon summit. He thanked her for excellent cooperation in the security and defence policy. “Even though there is a large geographic distance between us, we have come closer together due to our military cooperation in Afghanistan,” Ivan Gašparovič said.

According to the Slovak President, there is a “huge room” for improvement in economic and trade relations, as well as in culture, education and sports. The President also thanked PM Julia Gillard for the support the Australian government provides to the Slovak community living in Australia, with an estimated population of some 15 000.

At the end of their bilateral talks, the Slovak President invited the Australian Prime Minister to visit Slovakia.