President Drnovšek receives Canada’s chief of the defence staff

Brdo by Kranj, 08/31/2004 | press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, today received Canada’s chief of the defence staff, General Raymond Henault, who is on a two-day visit to Slovenia at the invitation of the chief of the general staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Ladislav Lipič.

President Drnovšek and General Henault began by commenting on the excellent cooperation between Canada and Slovenia both in the political sphere and in the defence sphere. They highlighted the good cooperation in the implementation of peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Afghanistan and in the area of training members of Slovenia’s armed forces in Canada. They also expressed their mutual interest in a further deepening of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

President Drnovšek remarked that Slovenia had enjoyed the constant support of Canada during the process of becoming a member of NATO. General Henault briefed the president on the progress of the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan and the strategy of the Canadian government with regard to this operation, which does not only include military activities but also development aid and diplomatic activities. President Drnovšek concluded the conversation by emphasising that as a country with a young army Slovenia can learn a great deal from Canadian experiences and expressed the hope that the two countries will continue to work well together in this field in the future.