Chairman of the EU Military Committee General Henri Bentégeat visits the Czech Republic

On Thursday, 22 January 2009, the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, French General Henri Bentégeat, visited the Czech Republic on an invitation from the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Vlastimil Picek.

At the beginning of the visit Minister of Defence Vlasta Parkanová welcomed the Chairman of the EU Military Committee with military honours. She exchanged opinions on the main priorities of the Czech Presidency in the EU Council and priorities in the area of defence with General Bentégeat. The Minister of Defence stated that “the Czech Republic supports the actualisation of the European Safety Strategy and deepening the cooperation between the EU and its strategic partners, particularly NATO.” In the ensuing discussion, which focused particularly on the current civil and military operations of the EU, minister Parkanová emphasised that the Czech Republic is ready to fulfil its obligation to set up an EU Battlegroup in cooperation with Slovakia as part of the system of EU preparedness in the second half of 2009. General Bentégeat appreciated the Czech Presidency as very effective and contributing and emphasised its ability to flexibly and effectively react to situations of crises (situation in Gaza, gas crisis).

The ensuing meeting of the Chairman of the EU Military Committee with Lieutenant General Vlastimil Picek at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic was dedicated particularly to military issues relating to the priorities of the Czech Presidency. “We emphasised military operations, development of military ability and cooperation with strategic partners – of course oriented towards the NATO partners. We also addressed several of our activities that will take place in the course of our Presidency in the Czech Republic,” stated Lieutenant General Picek.

General Bentégeat pointed to the ability of the Czech Presidency to focus on concrete EU and NATO operations and he particularly appreciated the Czech initiative in the area of solving the helicopter shortage for EU and NATO operations. Both military representatives also addressed the concept of EU Battlegroups and the state of preparations of the Czech-Slovak Battlegroup.

At the end of his visit to the Czech Republic General Bentégeat was received by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Pojar.