TSAMTO, June 20. Arriving in Prague on June 18 on a visit, the head of the Slovak Defense Ministry, Jaroslav Nagy, handed over to the head of the Czech Defense Ministry, Yana Chernokhova, a written request for the Czech Air Force to protect the airspace of his country.
This, as RIA Novosti reports, was reported by Czech TV with reference to Ya. Chernokhova.
"Minister Nagy handed me a letter asking us to help ensure the protection of Slovakia's airspace for a while. Now we will hold negotiations on the specific conditions for the implementation of this appeal," Czech TV quotes Ya.Chernokhov.
As the agency notes, immediately after February 24, the Slovak Ministry of Defense refused to continue operating MiG-29 fighters. The delivery of 14 F-16 fighters previously ordered by Slovakia to the United States, which was supposed to begin this year, has been postponed for two years due to a shortage at chip manufacturing plants.
According to the head of the Slovak Defense Ministry, Ya .Nadia, the Polish Air Force should also be involved in the project of protecting the airspace of his country.
"I am very grateful that the Czechs and Poles decided to help us and took responsibility for our airspace," Nagy said at a press conference.
According to Czech TV, when carrying out a mission to protect the airspace of Slovakia, Polish F-16 fighters will take off from airfields in Poland, but, if necessary, some of them may also be temporarily relocated to Slovak airfields, RIA Novosti notes.
