Minister Naď in Warsaw: “The Bucharest Nine is a format the significance of which is more important than ever before”

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď today took part in the Bucharest Nine (B9) Defence Ministers' meeting in Warsaw. The central themes of the meeting were the regional security situation in the face of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and the role of NATO and the EU in support of Ukraine. Ministers also tackled issues regarding NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in defence of the Alliance's eastern flank.

Speaking after the B9 meeting, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The Bucharest Nine is a format the significance of which is more important than ever before. Given that our countries make up NATO and the EU’s eastern border, today we, along with other ministers, confirmed the unity and steadfastness of our positions vis-à-vis the violations of international law and the territorial integrity of sovereign countries that are unprecedented in contemporary history.”

Minister Naď noted that B9 partners spoke about the possible mechanisms to reinforce the Alliance's eastern flank through the adaptation of command structures and the fielding of specific capabilities, including Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) assets. “Ukraine will emerge victorious at the end of its justified fight, but until then we must keep demonstrating our potential for deterrence and resilience against Russian imperialism, which is simply unacceptable in this century,” the head of the SVK MOD said.

The meeting also covered issues relating to the NATO Summit in Vilnius and the views of Ministers on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). In this regard, among other things, Ministers paid due attention to NATO and EU support for consolidating the defence capabilities of some countries in their immediate vicinity, especially the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Slovakia is a clear supporter of the territorial integrity of the said three countries. Building on NATO’s strategic documents, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we must continue to strengthen our political and practical cooperation as each of these counties is of special importance to European security,” Minister Naď said.

The Bucharest Nine (B9) group consists of Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Also in attendance at today's B9 Defence Ministerial in Poland's capital city was UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.