The Bratislava Global Security Forum (GLOBSEC) held between April 12 and 14 has principally raised the issue of integration of Balkan countries into international structures, the president of the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC), Rastislav Káčer, told the TASR newswire.
“This is a question of completing the process of uniting Europe, free and prosperous,” Káčer said, as quoted by TASR. “There were many top representatives of Balkan countries who heard a strong message at GLOBSEC: ... as long as the Balkans are not integrated fully into European and Transatlantic structures, the matter is not concluded.”
Another important outcome of the event was that support for deepening of regional defence co-operation was voiced, Káčer said, adding that this issue was mostly mentioned in connection to the decreasing defence budgets of individual countries.
“When the pillars of our system crack, all other security issues will become secondary ... Europe has to be responsible and able to deal with the economic stability of European institutions or the whole system will collapse, and the security challenges we are now addressing will be irrelevant,” he told TASR.
Káčer also praised the fact that Slovakia’s governing party, Smer, and opposition parties managed to find common ground at GLOBSEC, saying that “this is an excellent display of how parties can work together in the sphere of foreign affairs and defence”.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
