Minister Gajdoš holds talks with his partners from V4, France and Germany on common security goals
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- Date: 13.05.2019
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Slovak Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš met with his partners from the Visegrad Group and the Ministers of Defence of France and Germany in Brussels today (13 May 2019). Historically, this was the first meeting in the V4 + FRA + DEU format. And, importantly, it took place during the Slovak V4 Presidency. Common goals in the fields of EU and NATO defence initiatives and international crisis management operations were the main themes during the talks.
Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš said: “As the Visegrad Group Presidency country, we initiated the meeting mainly due to the potential this cooperation offers. Because even though we may not always be fully united on partial issues, we have a common goal.” He went on to underline that the Visegrad Group considers France and Germany to be significant and strategic partners in the Euro-Atlantic area. Speaking about the beneficial outcomes of the talks, Head of the SVK MOD said: “This forum has brought a unique opportunity for uniting our positions and exchanging our experience from both past and current defence initiatives.”
The Defence Ministers devoted close attention to issues relating to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), Military Mobility, and closer cooperation between the EU and NATO. Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš informed his partners about the state of play in the V4 flagship defence cooperation project – V4 EU Battlegroup, which is due to be on standby from July 2019, whereas the Visegrad Four countries have already declared their intention to stand up another V4 EU Battlegroup, which will take on a standby role in the first half of 2023.
The Defence Ministers also addressed their national deployments on international crisis management missions and operations, especially in light of the fight against illegal migration and terrorism. They praised the contribution that Op EUNAVFOR MED Sophia and Op EUFOR Althea, joined by the Slovak Republic as well, have made towards this end.
As part of today’s talks, individual countries reported on their progress in implementing the NATO Readiness Initiative. The partners also discussed increasing defence spending, strengthening capabilities, and sharing experience from their engagement in NATO’s missions and activities in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the Baltics.
Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš said: “As the Visegrad Group Presidency country, we initiated the meeting mainly due to the potential this cooperation offers. Because even though we may not always be fully united on partial issues, we have a common goal.” He went on to underline that the Visegrad Group considers France and Germany to be significant and strategic partners in the Euro-Atlantic area. Speaking about the beneficial outcomes of the talks, Head of the SVK MOD said: “This forum has brought a unique opportunity for uniting our positions and exchanging our experience from both past and current defence initiatives.”
The Defence Ministers devoted close attention to issues relating to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), Military Mobility, and closer cooperation between the EU and NATO. Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš informed his partners about the state of play in the V4 flagship defence cooperation project – V4 EU Battlegroup, which is due to be on standby from July 2019, whereas the Visegrad Four countries have already declared their intention to stand up another V4 EU Battlegroup, which will take on a standby role in the first half of 2023.
The Defence Ministers also addressed their national deployments on international crisis management missions and operations, especially in light of the fight against illegal migration and terrorism. They praised the contribution that Op EUNAVFOR MED Sophia and Op EUFOR Althea, joined by the Slovak Republic as well, have made towards this end.
As part of today’s talks, individual countries reported on their progress in implementing the NATO Readiness Initiative. The partners also discussed increasing defence spending, strengthening capabilities, and sharing experience from their engagement in NATO’s missions and activities in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the Baltics.
