Logo Polskiego Radia

Prague drops Visegrad radar defence system plans

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 01.10.2014 10:54
The collapse of an initiative for a joint air defence radar system by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic has been confirmed with the latter announcing plans to go alone.

Czech
Czech soldiers. Photo: wikipedia/army.cz

“The countries [of the Visegrad Group] were able to agree on the specification of the system but not on buying it,” commented Petr Medek, a spokesman for the Czech defence ministry, on Tuesday.

Prague will now invest up to 1.7 billion crowns (61.8 million euro) on its own anti-aircraft system.

Plans for a joint venture appeared to be coming apart at the seams earlier this month, when Poland acknowledged that it was considering pulling out the project.

At that time, the Financial Times cited Czech sources as pledging that either Prague would go alone, or carry on with Hungary and Slovakia.

Tuesday's announcement has clarified that the the Czechs will be taking the former path.

The Visegrad Group came into being following the collapse of the Iron Curtain, and its aim was to consolidate ties between the Central European member countries in the new post Cold War reality. Initially it comprised of 3 countries, prior to Czechoslovakia's 'Velvet Divorce' of 1993, and it is now commonly referred to as the V4. (nh)

Print
Copyright © Polskie Radio S.A About Us Contact Us