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Minister Sklenár at ITAPA DEFENCE: Slovakia is not at the crossroads of the East and the West

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

21.09.2023

The main theme for this year's ITAPA DEFENCE Conference, which is being held at the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Museum in Banská Bystrica today, is 'Defence Industry's Innovations and Benefits of Security Technologies'. The conference, established in cooperation with the Slovak Defence Ministry, covers lectures and panel discussions with MOD subject matter experts, defence technology specialists from the private sector, and NATO representatives.

Among the SVK MOD speakers and panellists at ITAPA DEFENCE were Defence Minister Martin Sklenár, Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko, Director General of the MOD Modernisation Department and National Armaments Director Michal Homza, Director of the MOD Investment Planning and Project Funding Branch and member of the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) Council of Investors for the Slovak Republic Michaela Kollárová, and Director of the MOD Analytical Section Barbora Hrozenská.

Speaking on the initial discussion panel, Defence Minister Sklenár clearly framed the foreign policy compass for Slovakia's security and defence, saying: "We are not at the crossroads of the East and the West. This is determined by what kind of life we want to live. From this point of view, the eastern alternative is clearly out of the question, because our citizens do not want to live like that."

Then, Minister Sklenár re-emphasised the significance of our NATO and EU membership and the importance of our continued support to Ukraine. "This is an investment in our defence in the sense that itʼs a matter of clear mathematics - if Russian troops stay behind Ukraineʼs border, our defence will be cheaper and simpler than in the opposite case, if we were to become neighbours," he explained.

Among the topics covered at the conference were also innovations in deep tech, sensor and imaging systems, energy infrastructure resilience, cyber security, and the strengthening of Slovakia's defence capabilities. The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) accelerator programme, established by 31 NATO member states, was presented as an instrument in support of innovative technological solutions and suppliers to the benefit of all NATO allies.

Director of the MOD Investment Planning and Project Funding Branch Michaela Kollárová said: "Thanks to the DIANA accelerator programme, the Defence Department has become a solid part of the Allianceʼs innovation ecosystem. We now have the opportunity to coordinate this instrument, which offers many opportunities for technology startups, businesses, and academia. Thanks to this synergy, we can modify and sustainably fund technological ideas for the needs of the defence and security sector."

The conference programme also features the ITAPA DEFENCE EXPO 2023 exhibition with military equipment and defence systems on display in the outdoor area, guided tours of the SNP Museum, and an online discussion event for the general public titled ITAPA OPEN TALK.