Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner has announced that the Austrian Army Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) will assist Slovakia with implementing measures to contain foot-and-mouth disease as of Wednesday. The neighbouring country was informed about the situation in Slovakia on Tuesday via the European Union's disaster protection mechanism. It decided to send 52 soldiers with 18 vehicles, including six special vehicles, to help Slovakia. As Tanner stressed, the deployment of the troops is also necessary to protect Austria by preventing cross-border transmission of the disease. Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger added that: "Good neighbourly relations require swift action."
Source: TASR
Martina Greňová Šimkovičová, Photo: TASR
