“The Security of Our Region Is the Guarantee of Europe’s Future”

The V4+CEDC Defence Ministers Meeting was held on the second day of the V4 Defence Ministers Meeting. At a press briefing held after the meeting, Dr. István Simicskó said that during the discussions, the partners reviewed the current security situation and the recently emerging threats. The Minister of Defence stated that the security of our region is the guarantee of Europe’s future. This security can become stronger if we cooperate more closely, strengthen our cooperation in the region, and further develop our defence capabilities. The cooperation of Central European nations sets an example to Western Europe too, as these countries continue to protect European Christian values as well as the external Schengen borders and are doing their best to generate all necessary capabilities to attain these goals. He emphasized that the sides have prepared a joint action plan in the interest of being able to assist each other as effectively and quickly as possible.

Dr. István Simicskó pointed out that, as the old saying goes, hard times will always reveal true friends, and these seven countries have become true friends in the difficult period of recent years, amidst the migration crisis situation and the acts of terror carried out in Europe. As he noted, we must continue readying ourselves for a prolonged migration crisis. The participants also agreed that the regional stability of the Western Balkans is in the interest of all of us, and that we must use all means available to the European Union and NATO to maintain this stability. The Minister of Defence spoke highly of the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) on security and defence, which means a new dimension in developing joint European defence capabilities. As he pointed out, the EU must not use PESCO to duplicate NATO’s capabilities, but this cooperation opens up new possibilities for creating important additional capabilities in terms of military and security policy.

The Minister underlined the importance of the effective protection of external borders, and called for a greater and more effective presence of the community in conflict zones in order to reduce the pressure of mass illegal migration on Europe. At the same time, he announced that next year Hungary would host the iteration of the COOPSEC 2017 migration crisis management exercise held in Austria last year. Dr. István Simicskó added that the closer cooperation of armed forces, internal security organizations and the police is needed in all countries, and the coordination must involve representatives of the Western Balkan countries too. He emphasized that Central Europe has a very great responsibility in maintaining the security of the continent, and thanks partly to the cooperation of Central European states, the countries of the region are among the most secure ones in the world.

Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš also expressed commitment to the strengthening of high-level regional cooperation. He underlined the importance of coordinated and flexible responses to the emerging threats, and praised the PESCO. He compared the European Union to a chain which is as strong as its weakest link.

Czech Defence Minister Karla Šlechtová pointed out that both the V4 and the CEDC are very important organizations, as the voice of participating countries can be heard much further, and they are able to achieve a lot through coordinated action. As she said, regional cooperation can be further increased in combating illegal migration and terrorism as well as during operations conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Tomasz Szatkowski said that Warsaw shows solidarity with those countries that are hit by mass migration the most, and supports the proposal that all related problems should be dealt with at their roots. In this spirit, the strengthening of border protection is as important as crisis management in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and the presence in the Western Balkans region must be increased in the interest of stability.

Austrian Defence Minister Mario Kunasek underscored the importance of border protection. As he said, the states involved are all on the same side, and their cooperation must be deepened. The migration crisis has not ended, and Austria, as the next holder of the presidency of the European Union, will be working to prevent this crisis and to maintain stability in the Western Balkans. He called it important to deepen the PESCO initiatives, and emphasized that the EU is clearly taking the right direction in this field.

Croatian Deputy Secretary of State for Defence Policy Peter Mihatov emphasized the significance of reinforcing defence capabilities. As he pointed out, it would be important that the CEDC member states join forces in as many projects as possible within the PESCO framework, and he also called for deepening the defence industry cooperation.

Slovenian Defence Minister Andreja Katič said that the security situation is stable in the Central European region, and the cooperation of the countries of the region is fruitful. However, the scope of global issues is wide, ranging from illegal migration to hybrid and cyber warfare to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The proactive role of the CEDC countries is essentially important in countering these threats.

The participants all thanked the Hungarian Minister of Defence for the organization of the meeting and next year’s COOPSEC exercise.

At the end of the event, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó held a bilateral discussion with Slovenian Defence Minister Andreja Katič.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi