Slovenia has been marking Sovereignty Day to commemorate the departure of the last remaining Yugoslav People’s Army soldier from the Slovenian territory since 25 October 2015. In the night from 25 to 26 October 1991, the very last ship of the aggressor, the Yugoslav People’s Army (YPA), left the Port of Koper. The YPA attacked Slovenia on 26 June 1991, the day after Slovenia officially declared independence. Ten days of combat followed, concluding with the Brijuni negotiations.

There, supported by the international community, both sides committed to ceasing hostilities and Slovenia agreed to postpone its independence by three months. The then Yugoslav Presidency decided to withdraw the YPA from Slovenia even before this deadline. The army thus proceeded to gradually pull out, with the final troops leaving on 26 October 1991.

On the eve of Sovereignty Day, President Borut Pahor attended the main ceremony in Posavje held at Brežice Castle, where he also extended his gratitude to the veterans for their role in helping Slovenia gain independence during the Ten-Day War. He also drew certain parallels between past events and the present day with regard to the consequences of the war in Ukraine.