Government approves plan for Finland & Sweden NATO accession

The Slovak Government on Tuesday approved the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, advising President Zuzana Caputova to sign the relevant protocols. According to the sponsors of the motion, the accession of the two countries to the Alliance will strengthen the security of the North Atlantic area, and thus also of Slovakia. The Government also approved the procurement of 152 tracked armoured vehicles from Sweden at a cost of over €1.6 billion, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) reported. The deal came as Slovakia rejected bids from four other European countries. The Defence Ministry has stated that it considers the purchase of the vehicles to be the most significant step towards fulfilling its commitment to build a heavy mechanised brigade.