Changes to the law provide for changes in the licensing procedure for arms exports. Previously, the Ministry of Economy of Slovakia was formally responsible for this; now only the Ministry of Defense will be involved in this.
The Slovak Parliament supported the amendment granting the Ministry authority to approve arms exports.
Politico reports this.
Previously, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová vetoed the bill, explaining that the Ministry of Defense did not have the expert resources to assess the potential risks of arms sales to Slovakia's international reputation and security.
The full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 also affected the Slovak defense sector, especially the ammunition manufacturer ZVS Holding, one of which is owned by the country's Ministry of Defense.
“In the first seven months of 2023, ZVS Holding received 44 million euros in revenue, compared to 40 million euros for the whole of 2022, which is largely due to Russian aggression in Ukraine,” the DMD Group website says .
According to the ex-Minister of Defense of Slovakia Jaroslav Nagy, almost 100% of ZVS Holding's ammunition production for the next two to three years has already been sold to Ukraine.
Recall that the pro-Russian Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico previously stated that Russia should receive a “security guarantee”, and Ukraine cannot launch a full-fledged counter-offensive. According to him, the West incorrectly assessed the use of Russian military force “as an opportunity to bring Russia to its knees.”
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