Parliament greenlights U.S.-SVK Defense Cooperation Agreement
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- Date: 09.02.2022
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Meeting in a special session on Wednesday (9 February 2022), the Slovak Parliament greenlighted the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Slovak Republic. Of the 140 MPs present, the DCA was supported by 79 MPs.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I want to thank all MPs for not being indifferent to the security of our country and its citizens. I especially appreciate they did not succumb to the pressure of those who were seeking to undermine our foreign policy direction and our safe and peaceful future in NATO and the EU by raising doubts over the transatlantic partnership. The parliamentary vote confirmed that Slovakia is clear in its mind about who its Allies are.”
Minister Naď went on to reiterate that the Agreement ramps up the security of Slovakia through deeper defence ties with our strategic partner, whilst fully respecting the SVK constitution and laws. The deal contains interpretation clauses by both countries, which clearly confirm their shared perception of the Agreement, mutual respect for sovereignty and law, and deny any assertions that the Agreement serves as a prerequisite for building U.S. bases or deploying weapons of mass destruction in Slovak territory.
“I just want to once again say thank you to the former SVK Governments for starting the negotiations on this Agreement. Also thanks to the initiative of the former Cabinets, today we are a step closer to achieving a higher level of SVK security and establishing the legal framework for intense cooperation with the USA,” added the head of the MOD.
The U.S.-SVK Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed on the evening of Thursday 3 February 2022 (during the night from Thursday to Friday morning CET) in Washington, D.C. The Agreement was signed on behalf of Slovakia by Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinked added his signature to the document for the USA.
After formal approval from Parliament, the Agreement still needs to be ratified by the SVK president before entering into force.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I want to thank all MPs for not being indifferent to the security of our country and its citizens. I especially appreciate they did not succumb to the pressure of those who were seeking to undermine our foreign policy direction and our safe and peaceful future in NATO and the EU by raising doubts over the transatlantic partnership. The parliamentary vote confirmed that Slovakia is clear in its mind about who its Allies are.”
Minister Naď went on to reiterate that the Agreement ramps up the security of Slovakia through deeper defence ties with our strategic partner, whilst fully respecting the SVK constitution and laws. The deal contains interpretation clauses by both countries, which clearly confirm their shared perception of the Agreement, mutual respect for sovereignty and law, and deny any assertions that the Agreement serves as a prerequisite for building U.S. bases or deploying weapons of mass destruction in Slovak territory.
“I just want to once again say thank you to the former SVK Governments for starting the negotiations on this Agreement. Also thanks to the initiative of the former Cabinets, today we are a step closer to achieving a higher level of SVK security and establishing the legal framework for intense cooperation with the USA,” added the head of the MOD.
The U.S.-SVK Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed on the evening of Thursday 3 February 2022 (during the night from Thursday to Friday morning CET) in Washington, D.C. The Agreement was signed on behalf of Slovakia by Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinked added his signature to the document for the USA.
After formal approval from Parliament, the Agreement still needs to be ratified by the SVK president before entering into force.
