NATO membership celebrations in Prague

A two-day international conference is underway in Prague to mark the 10th anniversary of the country’s entry into NATO. The event is being staged in the Czech upper house, the Senate, with guests including the alliance’s current Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The Czech Republic entered NATO on March 12, 1999, along with two other former Warsaw Pact members, Poland and Hungary. A poll by the STEM agency showed 73 percent of Czechs surveyed believe NATO entry was the right step to take. EU defence ministers are also meeting in the Czech capital on Thursday and Friday for informal talks.