Kalinak Meets Stoltenberg in Brussels

Brussels, November 14 (TASR) - Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday to discuss the priorities of the Slovak government in the area of defence and security and the future of Slovak assistance to Ukraine, TASR has learnt from the Defence Ministry. Kalinak informed Stoltenberg about the government's decision to terminate military aid to Kiev from stockpiles. "Despite this, Slovakia is offering a sufficiently wide range of humanitarian, civilian and technical non-lethal assistance. Our foreign partners fully respect the decision of the new government," said the ministry. According to the ministry, the new government aims to bolster the capacities and capabilities of the armed forces in performing tasks aimed at preserving the security of people and the state. Meanwhile, the modernisation process will also be aimed at minimising the risk of endangering the lives of soldiers. At the same time, Kalinak stressed that Slovakia is a responsible partner ready to build capabilities at both individual and collective levels. Stoltenberg praised the plan to modernise the Slovak armed forces, enable the growth of the defence industry and invest in infrastructure projects. He also highlighted Slovakia's progress in meeting its capability targets, including efforts to rebuild its independent air defence. "Both parties confirmed during the bilateral meeting that the Alliance and the Slovak Republic will jointly continue to enhance the readiness, deployability and interoperability of the armed forces," said the ministry. The Slovak minister and NATO secretary-general met on the eve of a meeting of EU defence ministers. Their meeting was also attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). zel/df