Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák holds talks with Spanish Minister of Defence Margarita Robles Fernández in Madrid

As part of his official visit to Spain, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic Robert Kaliňák met Spanish Minister of Defence Margarita Robles Fernández in Madrid for talks on the current security situation and efforts to deepen the continued cooperation between the Slovak and Spanish defence industries. Mr Robert Kaliňák also had the opportunity to visit the Spanish troops soon to be deployed with the NATO Battlegroup in Slovakia. Spain will take over command of the NATO Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia from the Czech Republic in July 2024.

While in Madrid, the head of the Slovak Defence Ministry was briefed on the final phase of the Spanish deployment to Slovakia. The Spanish Contingent (ESPCON) has been arriving in Slovakia in stages since January 2024. From July onwards, up to 780 Spanish service personnel along with combat and support equipment will be deployed on operations in Slovakia.

In their conversation, Minister Kaliňák and Minister Robles paid particular attention to the priorities of the upcoming NATO Washington Summit in July, shared their assessment of SVK-ESP cooperation on military training, exercises and education, and examined ways to enhance defence industrial base cooperation between the nations.

SVK arms manufacturers produce the munitions components that are then assembled by Fábrica de Municiones de Granada (FMG) in Spain. To this end, Minister Kaliňák noted emphatically that this cooperation takes forward the good name of our defence industry and brings job opportunities to Slovakia's regions. The Granada Munitions Factory is one of the oldest facilities for the production of gunpowder in Europe – this year Granada commemorates the first written reference to the use of gunpowder in the province, dating back to 700 years ago.