Defence Minister J. Naď: “The COVID-19 pandemic attests to the strength and unity within and beyond the Alliance”
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- Date: 25.06.2020
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The Czech Republic's 7th National Conference titled “Our Security Cannot Be Taken for Granted“ took place at Prague Castle today (25 June 2020). In light of yesterday's V4 Defence Ministers Meeting in Prague, one of the discussion panels was dedicated to the significance of NATO and collective defence from the perspective of Central European countries. Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď and his Czech and Hungarian counterparts delivered their speeches at the conference.
In his speech, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The lessons learned we draw from this spring's pandemic crisis show that our security and many other things our citizens have become accustomed to over the past decades cannot be taken for granted.” According to him, the significance of NATO membership and collective defence becomes fully manifest in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas “the COVID-19 pandemic attests to the strength and unity within and beyond the Alliance”.
In this context, he praised NATO's readiness to respond to crisis situations. As examples he cited over 300 Allied flights supplying more than 100 tonnes of critical supplies and the efforts of thousands of Allied personnel to alleviate the coronavirus medical and security crisis. “The existence and strength of the Alliance have enabled the domestic crisis management elements across different NATO Member States to focus on addressing the pandemic situation at home without having to worry about the fluctuations and worsening of the international security situation. Herein lies the significance of Article 5, the principle of NATO's collective security and existence today.”
Armaments issues and developing the cooperation of Allied countries on procurement of military equipment were on the agenda of the conference too. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš emphasised the need for joint projects and Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď joined him in giving his support to the efforts to enhance SVK-CZE defence industry ties. “One of such options was our bid to deliver the ZUZANA 2 Self-propelled Gun Howitzers and we are, of course, sorry that our Czech partners preferred the French product to ours. Nevertheless, in this field we are already focusing on exploring other options about which our national armaments directors are actively communicating,” said Minister Naď.
The Czech, Hungarian and Slovak defence ministers today also discussed current security threats, including disinformation, media wars and propaganda. The SVK defence minister provided an update on the concepts regarding these security challenges. A case in point is the Fight against Hybrid Threats Concept, which is in the process of being developed – alongside the new strategic security and defence documents.
The organiser of the conference “Our Security Cannot Be Taken For Granted“, held under the auspices of Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar, is Jagello 2000 – IC NATO. World political and military leaders along with security experts meet for discussions at the conference every year.
In his speech, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The lessons learned we draw from this spring's pandemic crisis show that our security and many other things our citizens have become accustomed to over the past decades cannot be taken for granted.” According to him, the significance of NATO membership and collective defence becomes fully manifest in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas “the COVID-19 pandemic attests to the strength and unity within and beyond the Alliance”.
In this context, he praised NATO's readiness to respond to crisis situations. As examples he cited over 300 Allied flights supplying more than 100 tonnes of critical supplies and the efforts of thousands of Allied personnel to alleviate the coronavirus medical and security crisis. “The existence and strength of the Alliance have enabled the domestic crisis management elements across different NATO Member States to focus on addressing the pandemic situation at home without having to worry about the fluctuations and worsening of the international security situation. Herein lies the significance of Article 5, the principle of NATO's collective security and existence today.”
Armaments issues and developing the cooperation of Allied countries on procurement of military equipment were on the agenda of the conference too. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš emphasised the need for joint projects and Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď joined him in giving his support to the efforts to enhance SVK-CZE defence industry ties. “One of such options was our bid to deliver the ZUZANA 2 Self-propelled Gun Howitzers and we are, of course, sorry that our Czech partners preferred the French product to ours. Nevertheless, in this field we are already focusing on exploring other options about which our national armaments directors are actively communicating,” said Minister Naď.
The Czech, Hungarian and Slovak defence ministers today also discussed current security threats, including disinformation, media wars and propaganda. The SVK defence minister provided an update on the concepts regarding these security challenges. A case in point is the Fight against Hybrid Threats Concept, which is in the process of being developed – alongside the new strategic security and defence documents.
The organiser of the conference “Our Security Cannot Be Taken For Granted“, held under the auspices of Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar, is Jagello 2000 – IC NATO. World political and military leaders along with security experts meet for discussions at the conference every year.
