Defence Minister J. Naď: Visegrad cooperation on defence and security to be extended to include STRATCOM

The Visegrad Group has the potential and interest in extending its cooperation in the field of defence and security. Alongside its V4 Battle Group, prospective joint procurement programmes and coordination of statements within the transatlantic structures, the V4 seeks to extend its cooperation to include strategic communications (STRATCOM), Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď announced today after the V4 Defence Ministers Meeting at Headquarters Multinational Division North East (HQ MND-NE) in Elblag, Poland.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “For us, the Visegrad Four is a group of countries closest to us. We may not necessarily have the same opinion on everything, yet we always try to find the areas of cooperation where the V4's joint action makes sense and benefits all. Also today, we reaffirmed that joint exercises are a most suitable platform for improving the ability of our armed forces to operate together on operations. It was with pleasure that I provided an update on Ex Slovak Shield as it takes place these days in Slovakia. Although our experience shows that identifying joint V4 armaments programmes is quite challenging, we will continue to look for projects that may generate savings.“

On the V4's future prospective cooperation, Minister Naď said: “The preparation of the V4 EU Battle Group for its standby period in the first half of 2023 remains one of our priorities – indeed, it is the flagship of our regional cooperation. The joint munitions procurement project, too, is an excellent result for the Visegrad Group. Looking into the future, through more projects like these, our goal is to strengthen cooperation among our defence manufacturers.”

Ministers used the meeting to align their positions on issues related to the current agendas of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. According to Minister Naď, Slovakia is interested in following through with the priorities outlined in NATO 2030, especially when it comes to reinforcing its defence dimension, focus on the policy of enlargement, NATO-EU ties, and giving more attention to new technologies.

The discussion on the European Union revolved around the Strategic Compass. In this context, Minister Naď reminded of the need to set realistic goals and of the expectation that the Strategic Compass should enable the optimal and coherent use of all of the EU's internal and external policy instruments and initiatives. In his opinion, another important aspect is support for the EU at the global level – in close cooperation with partners, international organisations and like-minded third countries.

At this second meeting held under the Polish V4 Presidency, the V4 presidency was formally handed over to Hungary. In this respect, Mr Naď expressed his full support to Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benkő for all activities and initiatives, while appreciating his intention to build on the successes of the Polish Presidency and the goal to press ahead with the V4 Action Plan for Long-Term Defence Cooperation Development.