Radio Prague: Défense: vers un espace aérien commun tchéco-slovaque

Martin Michelot commented on the cooperation of Czech and Slovak airforces for Radio Prague.

''If it is a civil case, if it is a hijacking, we are no longer here within the NATO's jurisdiction and obviously with the sometimes very protective thoughts of the two Czech and Slovak Governments on the terrorist risks in both countries, it is here that can be found a logic or a follow-up in thought. But for now, it is necessary to differentiate what NATO does in military matters and this project which is largely focused on civil matters or para-diplomatic issues''

''The Czech Republic is ready to react if Slovakia decides to acquire new aircraft. Of course, we do not want to exert any influence on this decision, but we are ready to make available our logistics capabilities and our training capabilities. We consider that there could be an interesting synergy in this area. But of course, it is a decision of the sovereignty of Slovakia.''

''In order to arrive at a basis on which we could reach a political agreement, it should be think about the subregional agreements. This is why there is an interest in for the Czecho-Slovak cooperation which is naturally the easiest to achieve because of common structures, common strategic cultures, and also potentially because of common equipments.''

You can read the whole article (in French) on Radio Prague's website.

Martin Michelot
Senior Associate Research Fellow

Expertise: NATO and transatlantic security, European foreign policy and defense, French politics, elections and society, Visegrad Four and Central Europe, EU institutional issues