Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) and his Czech counterpart Jaromir Zůna have agreed on the need to build greater self-sufficiency in the defence industry for their countries, declaring mutual willingness to continue expanding their cooperation.
Kaliňák voiced appreciation for the Czech Republic's continued assistance in guarding Slovak airspace and the ongoing Czech presence in the multinational brigade deployed in Slovakia.
According to Zůna, the defence interests of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are often very close or even identical. He highlighted that the two countries have much to offer each other and announced that the Czech Republic will continue to participate in the multinational mission in Slovakia. "We'll also look for ways in which the Czech Republic could participate in, and possibly purchase, products of the Slovak defence industry, or what we could develop together in the future," said the Czech defence minister.
The ministers share a similar stance on Greenland. The Slovak defence minister stressed that disputes between countries should be resolved diplomatically and that public references to military intervention do not help. "I'm convinced that NATO is capable of providing options that will remove any doubts about the security of Greenland. A joint approach can eliminate doubts on the part of the United States as to whether anyone else has security interests there," said Kaliňák.
In addition, he underlined the difference between the situation in Greenland and in Ukraine, noting that Denmark, to which Greenland belongs, is a NATO member.
"I hope that the negotiations currently under way will eventually lead to solutions acceptable to everyone and will contribute to defusing the situation. The Czech Republic greatly values the cohesion of the Alliance and is very keen for Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to work if needed," stressed Zůna. The Czech Republic will therefore support solutions that will ensure this.
Source: TASR
