State Secretary Marian Majer meets outgoing and incoming Austrian Defence Attachés Col Karl Fitsch and Col Franz Josef Madner

State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Defence Marian Majer today received Col Karl Fitsch and Col Franz Josef Madner, the outgoing and incoming Austrian Defence Attachés to Slovakia, at MOD Main Building in Bratislava. Mr Majer thanked Col Karl Fitsch for his cooperation, in the spirit of always maintaining very correct relations and a sincere dialogue. The office call also gave Mr Majer a chance to speak with Col Franz Josef Madner about the SVK assistance provided to Ukraine and other MOD priorities for the coming period.

State Secretary Marian Majer said: “I appreciate Col Fitsch’s efforts and involvement in the Austrian military medical deployment to Slovakia during the coronavirus pandemic. I also wish to thank him for his part in drafting the Bilateral Cooperation Plans between our countries, with the view to deepening our two nations’ defence engagement.“

In their conversation, State Secretary Majer and Defence Attaché Col Madner underlined the regional character of the SVK-AUT relationship as an excellent opportunity for advancing defence and security cooperation between both countries. At the same time, they praised existing collaboration between the militaries on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defence (CBRND), military training and education, and participation in international exercises. Another part of the discussion was in relation to the longstanding high-quality engagement of the SVK and AUT MODs in the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC).

“Austria has since long been an important partner of the Slovak Republic. And here, we are talking not just about regional proximity, but also about the closeness of our values. The intensification of our bilateral defence cooperation is, therefore, in the interests of both sides,” Mr Majer concluded.