On Thursday, the Slovak Republic and the USA signed the Defence Cooperation Agreement in Washington. The signatories were Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Agreement has to be greenlighted by the Slovak Parliament and ratified by the Slovak President. Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok was also present at the ceremony. "Strengthening defence cooperation with the main guarantor of our security, especially at a time of deepening uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, is a natural step for Slovakia. In addition, we should realise that we are the last country on the EU and NATO eastern border to do so," he said. Blinken highlighted the agreement's benefits for the two countries before the ceremonial signing. At the same time, he objected to disinformation surrounding the agreement, stressing that the document is based on mutual cooperation and respect and represents the interests of both governments.
The Defence Cooperation Agreement between Slovakia and the USA will be put before the Slovak Parliament as early as next Tuesday, February 8. Parliamentary Chair Boris Kollar has already convened a special parliamentary session with the Defence Cooperation Agreement between Slovakia and the USA the sole point on the agenda, according to an invitation published on Parliament's website.
The document has stirred controversies in the country over the past weeks with the opposition claiming that it will allow US military bases to be set up, bring US troops closer to Russia’s borders and curtail the powers of Slovakia's state authorities. President Zuzana Caputova conditioned signing the agreement with the implementation of an interpretation clause. Prime Minister Eduard Heger rejected any conspiracy theories, calling the document a standard framework agreement that regulates the conditions of defence cooperation.
Source: TASR
