Minister Naď gives special thanks to German and Dutch Defence Ministers Christine Lambrecht and Kajsa Ollongren for reinforcing Slovakia's defences with Patriots at Sliač AB

Yesterday on Friday (6 May 2022), Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď along with German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht and Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren visited the German and Dutch contingents operating in Slovakia as part of the NATO enhanced Vigilance Activities Battle Group Slovakia (NATO eVA BG SVK). The ministers met for a trilateral meeting to discuss topics of common interest, giving careful consideration to the current options for getting aid and support to Ukraine, as the country defends itself against Russian hostilities.

Thanking our German and Dutch Allies at a joint press conference at Sliač Air Base, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “My special thanks go out to my colleagues not just for visiting Slovakia, but especially for the extraordinary assistance they have provided in order to bolster Slovakiaʼs defences by sending their defensive Patriot air defence systems to protect our territory.”

Thanks to our Allies taking this step, SVK citizens can see how important it is that we are a NATO member – particularly at this time of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and that NATO is here to help defend the Alliance's territory, including Slovakia, Minister Naď announced.

Minister Naď went on to underscore the level of mutual trilateral cooperation between Slovakia, Germany and the Netherlands, which, according to him, is a testament to our very good ties, not just political and economic, but also military ones. “Alongside this, we are looking for joint initiatives, because they can often achieve a lot more than those from individual countries separately,” Minister Naď added.

In their remarks at the joint news conference, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht and Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren expressed their appreciation for Slovakia's solidarity towards Ukraine as well as for gifting its S-300 anti-aircraft and anti-missile system to Ukraine. While engaging in practical acts of solidarity towards Slovakia, Germany and the Netherlands have similarly provided it with defensive assistance in the form of Patriot air defence systems and crews to operate the Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) assets, they emphasised. Both ministers also commended Slovakia for setting the necessary conditions and infrastructure to support the DEU and NLD Patriot deployments in the country.