Visegrad Group Defence State Secretaries meet in Pezinok as part of Slovakia's V4 Presidency

In the first meeting of Visegrad Group Defence State Secretaries or the V4 Senior Body as part of Slovakia's V4 Presidency, State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Defence Marian Majer hosted his fellow counterparts in Pezinok on 8-9 November 2022. Among the issues on the agenda up for discussion were the traditional aspects of V4 defence cooperation, the range of initiatives proposed to support Ukraine, and current NATO and EU approaches and actions.

According to State Secretary Majer, the Visegrad Group should make the provision of demining and unexploded ordnance (UXO) operations in Ukraine its top priority over the medium to long-term, he said: “Of equal importance is seeking joint assistance solutions for our Ukrainian friends. For the purpose of clarity, here we are mainly talking about logistics support, military training, and servicing damaged Ukrainian equipment.”

In discussions with fellow State Secretaries, Mr Majer welcomed the option for existing V4 cooperation to be extended to cover Slovak airspace protection, meaning that Hungary could potentially join the Czech Republic and Poland in safeguarding Slovak skies. According to Majer, this could be a positive step, which, from both military and political perspectives, will prove to be of added value to all involved parties.

Among other topics, V4 Defence State Secretaries addressed countering the subversive activity of hybrid actors and building resilience against this threat, both at the level of national states and within NATO and the EU. One of the meeting's outcomes was the approval and signing of the Framework Agreement for Enhanced V4 Defence Planning Cooperation. Being the latest version of a 2014 document, the Framework Agreement formally updates the principles of functioning and cooperation for the V4 Defence Planning and Capabilities Development Working Group.