PRAGUE (PragueForum News – 24th August, 2022) The extension of assistance to Ukraine and the future of the European military training mission in Mali are expected to be on the agenda of the upcoming informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Prague, the Czech deputy minister of defense, Daniel Blazkovec, told reporters on Wednesday.

“One of the most important topics at the meeting on August 29-30 in Prague will be the discussion of the global impact of the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, we will talk about assistance in the post-war reconstruction of this country. We expect that the Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, will take part in the discussion by means of communication,” Blazkovec said.

The Czech Republic would like to clarify the position of its counterparts toward the future of the European military training mission in Mali, which is currently headed by Czech representatives.

France has withdrawn its troops from Mali, and some other countries may take a similar step.

“During our meeting in Prague, we would like to draw the attention of our colleagues to the fact that the situation in Mali is far from ideal and something needs to be done,” Blazhkovets stressed.

The defense ministers will also discuss the possibility of joint procurement of military supplies. According to the Czech deputy minister, it is necessary to elaborate an effective mechanism for joint procurement, which would have a fairly open format.

The informal meeting of EU defense ministers will take place from August 29-30 and begin at Prague Castle, but the main part of the discussion will take place the next day at the Prague Congress Centre. Representatives of the UN, NATO and the European Parliament will also be present at the meeting.

Article By Prague Forum