Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said after a meeting of his Visegrad Group (V4) counterparts in Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia, that Croatia "has been invited to join the V4 combat group," which will achieve full readiness by the end of next year. The ministers of defence of Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia met on Thursday to discuss regional military cooperation and security. They announced a meeting of heads of ministry departments responsible for military equipment from the four countries to discuss the possibility of joint military purchases. In this context, Minister Błaszczak said he hoped Polish combat helicopters would spark interest. Other topics discussed in Tatranska Lomnica included military education as well as joint training and exercises.