SLOVAKIA AND UNITED STATES SIGN DEFENSE COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Today marks a special and important milestone for Slovakia's bilateral relationship and defence cooperation with the United States of America, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď announced after signing the Agreement on Defense Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Slovak Republic at a signing ceremony at the U.S. State Department today (3 February 2022) in Washington, D.C.

On behalf of the U.S. Government, the DCA was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The Agreement and its benefits for both countries were appreciated by his Slovak counterpart, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok.

Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Bilateral cooperation between Slovakia and the United States has been excellent in the long term. Military cooperation with the United States has significantly contributed to the process of successful transformation and modernisation of the Slovak Armed Forces, especially the Slovak Air Force and the Special Operations Forces. Today we are putting our cooperation on an appropriate legal footing. It is also an expression of our shared commitment to transatlantic security as NATO Allies.”

Minister Naď reiterated that, for Slovakia, the United States is a strategic ally not only on Armed Forces modernisation, but also from the times when an independent Czechoslovakia was being formed and when Slovakia was being integrated into NATO. “We are close partners, we are close friends, and we are close allies. This Agreement is another step in our long-term objective of bringing this invaluable relationship to a higher level,” said Mr Naď.

The U.S.-SVK Defense Cooperation Agreement contains the interpretation clauses of the two countries. They both acknowledge a shared perception of the Agreement, whilst fully respecting each other's sovereignty and laws.

The Defense Cooperation Agreement is a standard agreement to deliver deeper and extended defence cooperation that the United States offers to its partners, including U.S. investments in the partner's defence capabilities and infrastructure through the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI). Alongside Slovakia, 23 out of the 30 NATO Member States already have the DCA or an equivalent status agreement.

“The strengthening of defence cooperation with the main guarantor of our security at a time of deepening insecurities and geopolitical tensions is a natural step for the Slovak Republic. We must also remember that we've done so as the last country on the EU’s and NATO’s eastern border,” emphasised Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok.

The U.S.-SVK DCA still requires formal approval from Parliament and ratification by the president before coming into force.