25th Anniversary of Hungary's NATO Membership

The 25th anniversary of Hungary's accession to NATO is commemorated on Tuesday in Independence, Missouri, where Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on March 12, 1999.

Twenty-five years ago on this day, Foreign Minister János Martonyi presented the instrument of Hungary's accession to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The protocol was signed by the two foreign ministers at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence City, and Hungary's full membership – and likewise the Polish and Czech entries – took effect.

The anniversary commemoration is marked by a roundtable discussion on Tuesday at the site of the ceremony a quarter of a century ago, featuring Brigadier General László Szegő, who helped to manage the accession process.

On the occasion of the anniversary, Tamás Kovács, Hungary's Consul General in Chicago, said, among other things, that in today's conflict-ridden times, during the war in Ukraine, it is clear that the launch of the Hungarian military industrial development program was a good decision.

The Consul General of Poland and the Consul General of the Czech Republic also participate in the celebration in Independence , and the Commander of the Nebraska State National Guard has been invited to the roundtable discussion.

When NATO was founded 75 years ago, US President Harry S. Truman was a key figure in the creation of the defense alliance. The library named after the former president is located in Independence, Missouri, because the former soldier-turned-politician grew up there and began his political career there.