The President receives the Secretary General of NATO

Brdo pri Kranju, 5.7.2012  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, received the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In their talks, they evaluated the development of the North Atlantic Alliance and some of its key tasks. Secretary General Rasmussen noted that NATO has progressed well in all areas as a system which ensures security in a large part of the world and which over the years has developed from a defence alliance into a more complex security organisation.

In this context, the discussion partners mentioned the status of Kosovo, and particularly noted the situation in Afghanistan. They agreed that NATO forces should leave Afghanistan in 2014 and another type of international presence should replace the current ISAF mission, which would concentrate on training Afghanistan’s armed forces to maintain security in the country. The Secretary General of the Alliance particularly stressed the progress of Afghanistan in various development fields.

President Türk pointed out the need for the simultaneous withdrawal of the Alliance from Afghanistan and for further diplomatic activities to strengthen cooperation between the neighbouring countries, which have an important impact on the security situation in Afghanistan. Previous interference in internal affairs must be replaced by cooperation, which will enable Afghanistan’s establishment as a stable country.

The strategic vision of the Alliance and cooperation with the Russian Federation in particular were also mentioned at the discussion. President Türk stressed the need for continuous progress on the basis of the conclusions adopted at the Lisbon Summit in December 2010. The discussion partners agreed on the importance of further cooperation between the two strategic partners in areas such as anti-missile defence, and supported intensive and transparent communication, which should strengthen cooperation in this area of security.

They also mentioned cooperation between NATO and the United Nations. The organisations need each other; the United Nations need NATO for the assurance of the actual capabilities to strengthen international security, and NATO needs the United Nations for the assurance of a legal framework and the legitimacy of international peace operations. They agreed that previous experiences demand a close examination of future cooperation.