BRATISLAVA/LIPTOVSKY MIKULAS, April 9, (WEBNOVINY) – Chiefs of general staff of armed forces of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland met in Liptovsky Mikulas. At the meeting they agreed that countries clustered in the Visegrad Group should have a common catalog of their military training facilities. The Chiefs of Army Staff in V4 states plan to cooperate in countering the economic crisis’ impacts. “All countries are presently grappling with financial problems. The lack of funds directly jeopardizes military capabilities and joint projects are one of the ways to ensure their development,” Gen. Lubomir Bulik stated. In their final communiqué, the attendees to the session highlighted the need for information exchange related to capabilities of the armed forces, staff training and military capability in international crisis management operations.
The meeting debated potential military cooperation at regional level within the Smart Defense project, a new NATO concept expected to bring about more security for less money by pooling and sharing capabilities. They exchanged information on the preparations for the joint central European troop, an EU battlegroup, which could be established after 2015. As they concluded, the military feasibility study on this V4 battlegroup is acceptable from the military and technical aspect. This option, however, should be supported exclusively on the basis of an appropriate political decision and provision of funds, reads the communiqué. Among other agreed-upon issues is the development of military cooperation with Ukraine, which is perceived as an important element of international stability and security in central Europe.
The information was provided by spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic Milan Varga.
SITA