80th anniversary of Op Anthropoid: Minister Naď meets Czech Defence Minister Černochová in Prague

To mark the 80th anniversary of Op Anthropoid, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď has made an official visit to the Czech Republic to meet with Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová. Assistance for Ukraine, the Czech contribution to NATO's multinational battlegroup in Slovakia, and SVK-CZE bilateral defence cooperation with a focus on their defence industries were the underlying themes on the agenda of their conversation.

Speaking about the success of Op Anthropoid executed by Czechoslovak paratroopers of the anti-Nazi resistance, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The direction a nation is heading is determined by its heroes. Thanks to ours, Slovaks and Czechs have the guarantee of free life.”

As part of the struggle of the Slovak and Czech nations for liberation in WW2, Op Anthropoid led to Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík entering the history books forever. Gabčík's heroic legacy has been preserved by the Slovak Armed Forces. This is evidenced by the honorary name of Slovakia's elite 5th Special Forces Regiment – The Jozef Gabčík 5th Special Forces Regiment Žilina.

On the close ties between the two nations, Minister Naď said: ”Our common history has given the Slovak and Czech Republics lessons about the need for close cooperation. At this time of fundamental changes to the security environment in Europe, it is being demonstrated once again that the Czech Republic is one of the absolutely closest partners of the Slovak Republic. Our defence cooperation has been excellent and has continually been deepening and growing from strength to strength.“

In their conversation, Minister Naď thanked Minister Černochová for the contribution the Czech Armed Forces, as the framework nation, are making to NATO's multinational battlegroup in Slovakia. Both leaders paid special attention to the potential role the Czech Republic could take on in safeguarding SVK airspace over western Slovakia. On Ukraine, Minister Naď said that Slovakia and Czechia share the will to help Ukraine and its citizens defend against the Russian aggression, because Ukraine is fighting to uphold the values of the democratic world. On the modernisation of their armed forces, he noted that the SVK MOD takes a close interest in cooperating with the CZE MOD to modernise the SVK and CZE Armed Forces. At the same time, he expects both sides will be able to identify future cooperation projects.