Today, Ambassador of Ukraine Andrii Taran took part in the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Slovenia's membership in NATO, which took place on the territory of the Museum of Military History in the city of Pivka (Slovenia) and a panel discussion dedicated to the discussion of the present and future of the North Atlantic Alliance.

The event was attended by ambassadors and military attachés of NATO members accredited in Slovenia, representatives of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Slovenia, and journalists.

As part of the event, the ceremonial opening of the exhibition dedicated to the defining events of Slovenia's membership in the Alliance took place. The exhibition was opened by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense  Damir Črnčec and the Director of the Museum of Military History Janko Boštjančič.

The main focus of the event was focused on the discussion session with the participation of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia Andrii Taran, the Ambassador of Great Britain to Slovenia Tyffany Sadler, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Slovenia Damir Črnčec, and the Adjunct Professor of the Institute of World Politics, Dr. Callahan. During the discussion, the participants at the expert level discussed the role and importance of NATO for the countries that interacted with the Alliance at different levels in different periods - from its foundation and expansion to the present and the future.

Ambassador of Ukraine Andrii Taran answered the moderator's questions about what NATO means for Ukraine and how Ukraine sees the future of the Alliance. Andrii Taran is convinced that Ukraine sees its future as a full-fledged member of the Alliance, which will significantly strengthen both Ukraine and the Alliance itself, given the unique experience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, acquired during repelling full-scale Russian aggression. "Ukraine is counting on an invitation to join NATO during the Washington Summit," - the Ambassador of Ukraine said.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Slovenia Damir Črnčec, answered questions about the situation with the proportionality of the contributions of various European countries to the defense capability of NATO national states, that currently, not all countries have a final understanding of the scale of the danger posed by the growing Russian aggression for their countries. "The closer the country is to the line of combat, the clearer is its understanding of the threat," recalled D. Chernchets and expressed hope that this situation would change for the better.

As part of the event, the Ambassador of Ukraine also gave an interview to the leading Slovenian media "RTV Slovenia". This event was used to once again introduce key signals to the Slovenian military, political and expert key regarding Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukraine and expectations from the upcoming NATO Washington Summit.