PRAGUE, February 6. /TASS/. Slovakia is seeking to host one of the command centers that NATO is creating in eastern and central European countries, Martin Glvac, the Defense Minister said on Friday.
The Slovak newspaper Pravda quoted him as saying his country had turned to NATO with a proposal to host a command center that would actually be staffed by planning specialists, whose presence could facilitate the hosting of NATO reinforcements in Slovakia if need be.
The staff of the command center was expected to have up to 50 positions, a half of which would be filled by the Slovak military and civilian experts holding contracts.
Tomas Valasek, the Slovak ambassador to NATO said the setting up of the command center would help create an efficacious system of defenses of the member-states along the eastern frontier of the pact.
Hungary, too, had filed a request for hosting a command center, Pravda said. The latter facility assure a brisk deployment of the bloc’s rapid response forces. Such deployment should not exceed 48 hours after a warning on an immediate threat on NATO’s eastern borders comes.
Along with it, a well-informed source in Bratislava told TASS the plans for the command center would materialize only if the ongoing crisis in Ukraine continued deteriorating.
Slovakia has persistently stated its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and for peaceful resolution of the crisis. Its government plans giving economic and consultative aid to Kiev.