Governments in joint session

During the meeting of the SVK-CZE governments, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš and CZE Minister of Defence Martin Stropnický assessed the progress of bilateral co-operation and the relations between the countries. High on the agenda of the Bratislava meeting was joint airspace protection, with emphasis on NATINAMDS, RENEGAT, and cross-border operation, SVK and CZE Land Forces exercises, as well as co-operation with the EU and NATO. The idea of organising inter-governmental meetings originated in 2012, with the previous meeting being held in Valtice in May 2015.

“I am pleased that the 4th joint session of our governments testifies to the exceptional relationship between our countries that goes well above and beyond the standard scope of relations. I appreciate the excellent long-term co-operation between Slovakia and Czechia in the field of defence, especially in the field of joint exercises and training,” said the head of the MOD, Peter Gajdoš. The relevance of his words was confirmed with the recent Exercise Engineer Rescuer 2016, which is an example of the outstanding practical co-operation. Also, the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) joined the recent Exercise Tobruq Legacy 2016. The Ministers highlighted the fact that this enhances the interoperability between the SVK Armed Forces and the ACR, which considerably adds to the success of any potential deployment of SVK and CZE troops abroad. Towards this end, the Concept on Co-operation between the SVK Armed Forces and the ACR was approved in May 2016. Both Ministers spoke in favour of further strengthening bilateral co-operation, which forms a solid bedrock for the Visegrad 4 as well.