The Government on Wednesday approved the conclusion of the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Slovakia and the USA. If ratified, the DCA would allow the US Armed Forces to make use of Slovak airbases in Malacky-Kuchyna (Bratislava region) and Sliac (Banska Bystrica region), or any other agreed facilities. The document would be valid for ten years. Its greenlighting stirred a wide controversy, especially among the parliamentary opposition. His concerns were also voiced by the General Prosecutor.
“The Defence Cooperation Agreement between Slovakia and the USA doesn't threaten Slovakia's sovereignty; on the contrary, it enhances it by improving the ability of the armed forces to defend Slovakia with our ally”, said Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok on Wednesday following the approval of the draft agreement. Together with Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO), they are ready to communicate its content. Korcok emphasised that this is a common framework agreement, which is advantageous for the Slovak Republic and added that the Cabinet approved it unanimously, so he does not expect any surprises in Parliament either.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad pointed out that the agreement had been prepared for four years, including the previous Governments of Peter Pellegrini (then Smer-SD) and Robert Fico (Smer-SD), who negotiated it. He also stressed that the draft agreement was part of public debate. According to Nad, no one at the Government Legislative Council questioned the legal aspects of the agreement. The document was also passed by the Slovak Security Council.
