Defence Minister J. Naď makes his first official foreign visit to Prague

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď kept to tradition by making his first official foreign visit to the Czech Republic today. On Day 1 of his visit, he held talks with Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Tomáš Petříček and later today is expected to appear in a debate hosted by the European Values Centre for Security Policy.

On the SVK-CZE special relationship, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: "There is no doubt that our mutual relations with the Czech Republic go well beyond the standard scope of bilateral ties. Our political and expert dialogue is truly dynamic and our cooperation is also mirrored in the coordination of our positions within the EU, NATO and the V4." According to Minister Naď, EU and NATO membership, as with the intense bilateral engagement, serves as a baseline reference for advancing the relations between the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic.

In a meeting with his Czech colleague, Minister Naď presented the MOD priorities for the next four years and the goal of formulating new strategic documents along with the SVK Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Both Ministers appreciated the cooperation between their countries during the coronavirus crisis, highlighting the repatriations of several hundreds of citizens from abroad. "This demanding situation, too, has shown what special and obliging relationship exists between Slovakia and Czechia," said Minister Naď.

As part of his programme today, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď will also appear in a debate organised on the occasion of his visit to Prague by the European Values Centre for Security Policy, a non-governmental think-tank. The mission of the security-oriented Centre is to safeguard liberal democracy, the rule of law and Czechia's transatlantic alliances, whereas it cites personal freedom, human dignity and equality as its core values. In this spirit, the Centre makes erudite recommendations to politicians.