The State Secretary in Lithuania

Preparation of the European Union Summit on the joint defence and security policy of the EU to be held in December was one of the issues discussed at the informal negotiation of ministers of defence of the EU countries in Lithuania. Slovakia was represented by the State Secretary of MoD SR Miloš Koterec. "In the times of a financial crisis and newly emerging types of threats and challenges, in the times of a growing unpredictability and orientation of the most significant ally – the US – towards the Pacific region, it is high time for the European Union to carefully consider the role it would like to play in the future in an international dimension and to determine options to achieve such ambition," he stated. Many of the member states emphasized the need to substantially enhance defence cooperation and coordination between the EU and NATO.