Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď meets French Ambassador Christophe Léonzi
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- Date: 21.04.2020
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Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď today received the Ambassador of the French Republic to Slovakia, His Excellency Mr Christophe Léonzi, at the Ministry of Defence today (21 April 2020). In their first official meeting, they spoke about areas of further cooperation in the sphere of defence and security at the bilateral level, as well as part of the EU and NATO.
A theme of today's talks was tackling the effects of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic on both States. In this respect, the Defence Minister updated the French Ambassador on the SVK Armed Forces' COVID-19 operations in reaction to the spread of the virus. He also informed him about the SVK military's deployments on international crisis management missions and operations.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: "The Slovak Republic is a solid constituent of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is a well-respected EU and NATO member in the eyes of our foreign partners. Our common politico-military and foreign policy objectives enable us to continue strengthening our mutual relations." He cited as an example of this successful cooperation the participation of both armed forces in joint training and education activities.
During the meeting with Ambassador Léonzi, Mr Naď presented the MOD's new objectives and priorities, including the drafting of a new SVK Defence Strategy. Both officials paid special attention to the EU's Permanent Structure Cooperation (PESCO) and Slovakia's performance of international commitments. "We are delivering on the commitments arising from SVK membership of the EU and NATO in a truly responsible manner. This is exemplified by increased defence spending to reach the 2 per cent GDP spending goal by 2024 and the active role of our soldiers on missions and operations under the umbrella of the European Union and NATO," added Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď also updated Ambassador Christophe Léonzi on the modernisation programmes across Defence. "In approaching every project, we will take into consideration 5 basic criteria, i.e. technological requirements, compatibility with the EU and NATO, price, delivery dates, and options for involving the SVK defence industry. To this end, we will always proceed absolutely transparently," said the head of the SVK MOD.
A theme of today's talks was tackling the effects of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic on both States. In this respect, the Defence Minister updated the French Ambassador on the SVK Armed Forces' COVID-19 operations in reaction to the spread of the virus. He also informed him about the SVK military's deployments on international crisis management missions and operations.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: "The Slovak Republic is a solid constituent of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is a well-respected EU and NATO member in the eyes of our foreign partners. Our common politico-military and foreign policy objectives enable us to continue strengthening our mutual relations." He cited as an example of this successful cooperation the participation of both armed forces in joint training and education activities.
During the meeting with Ambassador Léonzi, Mr Naď presented the MOD's new objectives and priorities, including the drafting of a new SVK Defence Strategy. Both officials paid special attention to the EU's Permanent Structure Cooperation (PESCO) and Slovakia's performance of international commitments. "We are delivering on the commitments arising from SVK membership of the EU and NATO in a truly responsible manner. This is exemplified by increased defence spending to reach the 2 per cent GDP spending goal by 2024 and the active role of our soldiers on missions and operations under the umbrella of the European Union and NATO," added Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď also updated Ambassador Christophe Léonzi on the modernisation programmes across Defence. "In approaching every project, we will take into consideration 5 basic criteria, i.e. technological requirements, compatibility with the EU and NATO, price, delivery dates, and options for involving the SVK defence industry. To this end, we will always proceed absolutely transparently," said the head of the SVK MOD.
