EU Defence Ministers meet in Zagreb

Meeting in Zagreb on 4-5 March 2020, EU Defence Ministers discussed current challenges in the field of defence and security. At the same time, they paid special attention to ways of deepening the cooperation with NATO and the UN and highlighted the importance of joint international crisis management activities. The meeting was attended by Director of the SVK MOD's International Relations Department Július Demetrian and Ambassador Tomáš Kozák, who works at the SVK Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels.

The meeting was dominated by topical issues of cooperation on the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and individual contributions of EU Member States to the EU-led international crisis management missions and operations. In this context, EU Defence Ministers underlined the importance of activities in the Sahel region and in the Near East, especially the tasks executed by members of armed forces in the field of training and advice to local security forces. Another theme that resonated through the discussions was that of the European defence initiatives. On this, the Slovak delegation underscored the need to implement them thoroughly and ensure their coherence.