Slovenia today marks the 35th anniversary of the departure of the last soldier of the Yugoslav People’s Army from its territory — an event marking the end of the Yugoslav military presence and strengthening the sovereignty of the new state.

On October 25, 1991, the last Yugoslav troops fled through the Port of Coper, more than three months after the end of the Ten-day War. This date is marked in Slovenia as Sovereignty Day since 2015.

The final departure was accomplished overnight between October 25th and 26th. According to data published by the Slovenian government, the last soldier boarded the ship at 23:45 on October 25th, while the last ferry with Yugoslav troops left Slovenian territorial waters in the first minutes of the following day.

The road to this moment had started with Slovenia’s declaration of independence on June 25th 1991. Two days later, clashes between Yugoslav forces and the Territorial Protection of the Slovenian Police began in the conflict that became known as the Ten-day War.

The fighting was halted after the Brion Agreement, reached 7 July with the European Community’s mediation. The deal was a ceasefire and a three-month suspension of the implementation of actions related to independence. On July 18th, the Yugoslav presidency decided on the full withdrawal of the military from Slovenia within three months.

For Slovenia, the removal of Yugoslav troops remains one of the key moments of secession from the federation. It opened the way for the consolidation of citizenship and the efforts for international recognition, which were also crowned with membership in the United Nations Organisation in May 1992, reports Duguagjini.

Source Layer: Dukeagini