Visegrad Four discusses boosting defence cooperation

Budapest (MTI) – Members of the Visegrad Group (V4) have held talks in Krakow, Poland, on strengthening defence cooperation, the defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Tamás Vargha, state secretary of the defence ministry, represented Hungary in the Senior Body of the group composed of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, currently presided over by Poland. They discussed preparations for the V4-EU battlegroup which will be on standby in the second half of 2019, after having successfully served on standby in the first half of 2016, the statement said. They also discussed possibilities for expanding the battlegroup over the long term.

The group reviewed current NATO and EU defence policy issues which will be the focus of a NATO summit to be held at the end of May, including the alliance’s common burden-sharing and its role in the fight against terrorism.

The deputy ministers also discussed the situation regarding implementation of the EU’s Global Strategy on security and defence, and discussed the V4’s regional air defence cooperation, the statement said.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI