On Friday, April the 29th  in Bratislava, Minister Mariusz Błaszczak met with Slovakia's Minister of Defence, Jaroslav Nad.

"We raised issues related to increasing defence spending. I know that Slovakia is also increasing its spending. As we all know, Poland has adopted the Motherland Defence Act , which states that at least 3% of GDP will be allocated to defence from next year.  We are dynamically developing the Polish armed forces, but we want to cooperate closely with our neighbors within the framework of the North Atlantic Alliance. Here a very good example is this, I would say, model cooperation with Slovakia. As for the geopolitical assessment, we agree here - the war in Ukraine,  confirmation of our fears, presented for years, related to Putin's expansionist policy"

- said Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.

The talks between the heads of the defence ministries were focused on military relations of both countries and cooperation within NATO, as well as the current security situation in the region and ongoing support for Ukraine.

"We also talked about the cooperation of our defence industries, about joint exercises. The scope of our cooperation within V4 is very large. We also talked about the challenges that lie ahead, but also about cooperation, for example, as part of the contingent in Latvia - the troops Polish and Slovakian or as part of the NATO Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence which we are creating together. (...) In 2024, the F-35 will be delivered to  Poland, so we will be able to expand the scope of our cooperation, adapt it to ensure security together.  I also learned that Slovakia is considering buying drones.  Poland has such drones.  We ordered them last year in Turkey, it is also another experience that we are ready to share with our friends, with our neighbors, with Slovakia"

 - added Minister Błaszczak.

During the press conference, the head of the Ministry of National Defence announced that the duty pair of F16 aircraft of the Polish  Air Force would supervise the Slovak airspace.

"On our part, it is quite natural that the Polish duty pair of the F-16 multirole aircraft will also be patrolling the skies over Slovakia. These will be duties carried out from the territory of the Republic of Poland. If necessary, an airport in Slovakia will be available, but as a rule  we will simply expand the scope of operation of the Polish duty group, which uses F-16 aircraft"- emphasized the minister . "In the relatively short term, Slovakia will be equipped with the same aircrafts so we are also talking about cooperation between our air forces"

 - Minister said.