Minister P. Gajdoš meets with French Ambassador Ch. Léonzi
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- Date: 28.06.2018
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SVK Minister of Defence today met with the Ambassador of the French Republic to Slovakia, His Excellency Mr Christophe Léonzi, at MOD Main Building, to discuss the main topics of interest and take bilateral cooperation forward, especially on Permanent Structure Cooperation (PESCO), as well as reflecting on current security developments in the wider European region.
On the engagement of France and Slovakia in PESCO projects, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “That we jointly develop the EU’s PESCO projects is a clear declaration of unity, cohesion and solidarity amongst Allies. We will cooperate with France, our European and NATO Ally, on three projects as part of this initiative.” In addition to Military Mobility, European Medical Command (EMC) and Network of Logistic Hubs in Europe and Support to Operations, he noted that Slovakiaʼs EuroArtillery project is a prospective area of cooperation too. In this respect, he appreciated and encouraged France’s interest in participating in this project.
During the meeting, Minister Gajdoš and Ambassador Léonzi looked into ways to expand the existing Franco-Slovak defence collaboration on education and training activities. They also discussed the planned increases in Slovakiaʼs defence spending aligned to the ongoing modernization process and the upcoming NATO Summit. Head of the MOD updated the French Ambassador on the current deployments of SVK personnel on international crisis management missions and operations, focusing on NATO’seFP in Latvia, NTCB-I in Iraq, the SVK SOF’s engagement in RSM in Afghanistan, and the future EU missions.
Minister Gajdoš also thanked Ambassador Léonzi for the invitation to attend the centenary commemorations of WWI in France’s Darney this Saturday, which coincides with this year’s centenary commemorations of the Czechoslovak Legion, the Czechoslovak Army, and the foundation of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks – Czechoslovakia. They also talked about the centenary commemorations of the tragic death of General M. R. Štefánik in Slovakia next year, with the planned joint flypast of the Slovak, French and Italian Air Force aircraft.
On the engagement of France and Slovakia in PESCO projects, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš said: “That we jointly develop the EU’s PESCO projects is a clear declaration of unity, cohesion and solidarity amongst Allies. We will cooperate with France, our European and NATO Ally, on three projects as part of this initiative.” In addition to Military Mobility, European Medical Command (EMC) and Network of Logistic Hubs in Europe and Support to Operations, he noted that Slovakiaʼs EuroArtillery project is a prospective area of cooperation too. In this respect, he appreciated and encouraged France’s interest in participating in this project.
During the meeting, Minister Gajdoš and Ambassador Léonzi looked into ways to expand the existing Franco-Slovak defence collaboration on education and training activities. They also discussed the planned increases in Slovakiaʼs defence spending aligned to the ongoing modernization process and the upcoming NATO Summit. Head of the MOD updated the French Ambassador on the current deployments of SVK personnel on international crisis management missions and operations, focusing on NATO’seFP in Latvia, NTCB-I in Iraq, the SVK SOF’s engagement in RSM in Afghanistan, and the future EU missions.
Minister Gajdoš also thanked Ambassador Léonzi for the invitation to attend the centenary commemorations of WWI in France’s Darney this Saturday, which coincides with this year’s centenary commemorations of the Czechoslovak Legion, the Czechoslovak Army, and the foundation of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks – Czechoslovakia. They also talked about the centenary commemorations of the tragic death of General M. R. Štefánik in Slovakia next year, with the planned joint flypast of the Slovak, French and Italian Air Force aircraft.
