Slovakia - Republic (1993- )

"Slovakia (Slovak Slovensko), officially also known as the Slovak Republic (Slovak Slovenská republika), is a continental republic in Central Europe, confined to the northwest with the Czech Republic, to the north with Poland, to the east with Ukraine, to the south with Hungary and to the west with Austria.

The end of the communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful "Velvet Revolution", followed the division of the state, this time into two successor states. In July 1992, Slovakia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Vladimir Mechiar, was declared an independent state, which meant that its laws replaced the then-valid federal. In the summer of 1992, Mecaiar and Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus negotiated and discussed details of the separation of the federation and the division. In November, the federal parliament voted to separate the official state on December 31, 1992. Thus, the Republic of Slovakia and the Czech Republic withdrew their own route on 1 January 1993. Slovakia remained a close associate of the Czech Republic, both countries cooperating with Hungary and Poland and within Visegrad group. Slovakia became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004 and the European Union on 1 May 2004."

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIJA