On September 1, Poland and the Czech Republic take over the protection of Slovak airspace. The relevant declaration was signed on Saturday by the heads of the Polish, Czech, and Slovak defense ministries Mariusz Błaszczak, Jana Czernochova, and Jaroslav Nad'. On September 1, Slovak MiG-29 fighters will be grounded and formally decommissioned.
The Slovak minister indicated it was an especially important moment and thanked them for this decision. "We have shown how strong our alliance is within NATO, within the EU, but it is a strong friendship, the brotherhood between our countries. (...) Until 2024 you will take care of our security, of all Slovaks." In 2024, Slovakia will receive the F-16 Viper fighters ordered in 2018.
The Czech Minister of Defense also expressed her satisfaction with the signing of the declaration. "We should remember that we have to support each other, and these are such tangible proofs that politicians not only talk about cooperation but actually do and implement something within this cooperation," stressed Czernochova.
Czernochova and Nad 'emphasized that their countries lag behind Poland in modernizing their armed forces. They pointed out that Poland is a model for them in this field.
