Slovakia Complying with NATO Commitments Despite Tight Budget

The President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič received NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Gašparovič appreciated Rasmussen’s support for Slovakia’s entry into the EU. He was pleased to note that “even the citizens of the Slovak Republic realise the importance of NATO membership as well as the fact that such membership comes at a cost.” The President, acting as the Commander-in-Chief of the Slovak Armed Forces, also said he had so far failed to persuade the Parliament and the Government to increase defence expenditure which would allow the country to approach the target level of two percent of GDP. Rasmussen said he was confident of Slovakia’s ability to meet its commitments under NATO membership. He asked Slovakia to keep its commitments under international operations and continue modernisation of its armed forces and engagement in several cooperation projects, so that the “scarce funds for the defence sector and modernisation programmes could be pooled with other countries.”

Mr Gašparovič stressed that, in order to be able to meet the commitments vis-à-vis the Alliance and to have an operational army capable of keeping up with other countries’ armed forces in terms of modernisation, Slovakia should not follow the path of endless defence budget cuts. In this context, the Slovak President referred to a statement by Prime Minister Iveta Radičová who had said she would do her best to maintain a sufficient budget for the modernisation of the armed forces. Gašparovič believes his concerted effort together with the Government and the Parliament would prevent “further cuts in the defence budget and even increase the budget to some extent.”

The Slovak head of state also informed NATO Secretary General of the modernisation of the Sliač airbase and the use of military exercise area in Lešť.

His talks with NATO Secretary General also touched upon the current situation in Afghanistan and NATO operations in Libya where NATO has conducted over 7000 air missions. “The Alliance’s troops saved many lives and Muammar Gaddafi’s regime is becoming increasingly isolated,” Rasmussen noted. He also added that “as long as Gaddafi remains in power, the attacks against civilians in Libya will never cease.” He went on to say that the credibility of Gaddafi’s opposition and its power to ensure further democratisation and liberalisation processes in the country would also be important.

Gašparovič expressed his opinion that “the situation in Libya cannot be resolved by military means alone“. He thinks Libya’s internal needs must also be taken into account. “The Slovak Republic is keen to participate in Alliance’s activities in this area; however, the post-conflict reconstruction of Libya is important as well,” the Slovak President said. He added it was not yet certain who we could rely on directly in Libya.

Rasmussen thanked Gašparovič for being committed to the Alliance. He also expressed his gratitude for the involvement and contribution of the Slovak armed forces in Afghanistan. “More than three hundred Slovak troops operating at the airbase in Kandahar have great results and are doing a good job there,” NATO Secretary General praised the activities of the Slovak contingent in Afghanistan.