EU defense ministers will discuss the fate of the mission in Mali or aid to Ukraine in Prague
Update: 24/08/2022 08:03
Issued by: 24/08/2022, 08:03
Prague – The future of the European training mission in Mali or others will be discussed next week by EU defense ministers at an informal meeting in Prague. The possibility of joint purchases of military equipment will also be a topic. Deputy Minister of Defense Daniel Blažkovec told ČTK. The Czech Republic organizes an informal meeting of ministers within the framework of its presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Czech Ministry of Defense identified several important areas that Minister Jana Černochová (ODS) wanted to discuss with her colleagues. The purpose of the ministry is precisely to discuss and clarify the positions of individual countries. An official exit is therefore not planned. According to Blažkovec, interesting proposals will undoubtedly be heard at the meeting, which will be developed at other EU events.
He identified the global impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as one of the important topics. Ministers should also talk about how to help Ukraine rebuild the country after the end of the war. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov will also join the discussion remotely, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Representatives of the Czech Ministry are also interested in how the EU countries stand towards the continuation of the European training mission in Mali, which the Czech army is now in command of. The country has experienced a poor security situation since 2012. It is currently ruled by a military junta that overthrew a democratic government in 2020, partly out of frustration at its inability to stop the violence. The junta then turned away from traditional ally and former colonial power France and leans towards Russia, according to Western information, Russian mercenaries of the so-called Wagner Army are operating in Mali. Paris withdrew its troops from the country due to the split.
According to some signals, other European countries are also considering a similar step, noted Blažkovec. An informal meeting could thus clarify the future of the mission, its termination is also not excluded. “We want to draw attention to this within the ministry, that we are aware that the situation is not ideal and that something should definitely be done about it,” said the deputy. According to him, if it turns out that the mission has no future, it will be necessary to look for options for further European and Czech presence in the surrounding countries. “We would definitely not want to leave the Sahel region, there is a need to continue operating there in some way and fight against terrorism and illegal migration,” he noted.
On Tuesday, the ministers should also deal with the analysis of the shortcomings of defense investments, which was recently prepared by the European Defense Agency (EDA). They will mainly discuss the possibilities of joint purchases of military equipment. A number of European countries sent their supplies to Ukraine and now have to restore them. “It would be good for it to be coordinated, and that is through liaising activities,” said Blažkovec. According to him, the effort will be to find a functional joint purchasing mechanism that will be sufficiently flexible. As an example, he cited the alliance agency NSPA, through which member states in particular provide for municipalities. According to Blažkovec, the process of procuring military equipment through the NSPA is lengthy.
The ministry will start with a welcome evening on Monday evening at Prague Castle, the main meeting day is scheduled for Tuesday at the Congress Center. In addition to the Union defense ministers, top representatives of the UN, NATO and the European Parliament will also take part in the event.