The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence, together with the Sever Association and the Union of Veterans of the War for Slovenia, organised a ceremony held today in Koper marking the twentieth anniversary of the departure of the last Yugoslav People's Army soldier from Slovenia. The ceremony was also attended by acting Minister of the Interior Aleš Zalar and Director General of the Police Janko Goršek.
The ceremony, which was addressed by President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Danilo Türk, concluded the series of ceremonies marking the twentieth anniversary of Slovenia's independence.
The departure of the last Yugoslav People's Army soldier from Slovenia on the night of 25 and 26 October 1991 represents the end of the armed defence process that led to Slovenia's gaining independence. In the process a special role was played by the then Slovenian militia.