President SR Peter Pellegrini received Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alexus Grynkewich in the Presidential Palace on Wednesday. He came to Slovakia for his initial visit, during which he familiarized himself with the specifics of the defense of the Slovak Republic and the current status of the fulfillment of allied obligations. TASR was informed about this by the communication department of the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic.
Pellegrini s Grynkewichom they discussed the current geopolitical situation in the world, the role of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and the strengthening of its eastern wing. At the meeting, the President emphasized that Slovakia is and will be a responsible NATO member state and has no interest in changing its international anchoring.
According to Pellegrini, Slovakia is aware of fulfilling its obligations on NATO’s joint capabilities, while currently spending two percent of GDP on defense. At the same time, he emphasized that Europe must take on a more responsible and serious role within NATO in strengthening its defense capabilities, and Slovakia perceives this fact. Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe also reported on the ongoing modernization of the Slovak Armed Forces.
With Grynkewich on Wednesday morning at the government office he also met Prime Minister Robert Fico (Direction-SD). They discussed the current geopolitical situation in the world, the strengthening of NATO’s defense, especially the eastern wing, and the strengthening of the air defense of the Slovak Republic. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Defense Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) and Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Daniel Zmeko.
