President of Slovenia Dr. Janez Drnovšek receives the NATO Secretary General

Ljubljana, 05/31/2005 | press release

Janez Drnovšek today received the NATO Secretary-General Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is on official visit to Slovenia.

The Secretary General underlined the importance of Slovenia's participation in the Alliance and stressed that the new challenges will demand increased operative capacity from members. He underlined the importance of the Partnership for Peace and cooperation with Russia and the Ukraine. Drnovšek stressed the importance of the Alliance and the need for its role to be fully understood by the general public. Secretary General Scheffer expressed the opinion that transatlantic relations have improved and that continuous political dialogue among members was necessary. He also emphasised the importance of cooperation between NATO and the EU. One of the more important tasks in view of future challenges is the transformation of the armed forces of the allies. Drnovšek said that Slovenia is also striving to prepare its armed forces for operations in accordance with NATO standards.

President Drnovšek and his guest exchanged views on the situation in the South East Europe. At the end of the talks, the Secretary General said that the Alliance requires the cooperation and involvement of all its members – both small and large - because NATO is faced with demanding and responsible tasks.