Bilateral meeting between Defence Minister J. Naď and Brazilian Ambassador E. R. G. Neto on current themes of defence and security

A bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď and Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Slovakia HE Eduardo Ricardo Gradilone Neto took place today (15 June 2021). During his first visit to the MOD, Ambassador Neto introduced himself in the role of the Ambassador of Brazil to Slovakia. Focus of the meeting was mainly on the current domestic and foreign defence themes and the prospects for future bilateral cooperation. They also discussed support and options for promoting the domestic defence industry sectors.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The Federative Republic of Brazil is the most important political and economic partner of the Slovak Republic in the South America region. I am convinced that defence and security is a prospective field for developing mutual cooperation and supporting domestic defence industries.”

Another topic on the agenda of the meeting was the education and training programme. In this context, Minister Naď highlighted the training facilities offered by the SVK Armed Forces and appreciated the offer for SVK military personnel to undertake training in Brazil. Mr Naď also praised the fact that, for the first time, Brazil has a Defence Attaché (DA) accredited to Slovakia, Col Márcio Gonçalves Ribeiro.

Minister Naď updated Ambassador Neto on the MOD's vision, goals, modernisation projects and the status of Slovakia's commitments in the political and military fields, including those to NATO and the EU. He also presented the new SVK strategic documents and the Action Plan for Coordination of the Fight Against Hybrid Threats 2021.