V4 defence ministers urge closer cooperation

The defence ministers of the Visegrad Group agreed at their meeting in Ostrava on Friday that cooperation must be strengthened in all areas of defence between the four countries. "Every country, every nation, has its history, its interests, its values, which we must collectively protect, preserve and serve. This is what cooperation within the V4 is about," Tibor Benko told a joint press conference. He said Europe was facing new challenges, risks and threats, stressing the need for the European nations to be assured that increasing their national defence spending serves their own interests.