President Pahor receives NATO Secretary General

The President of the Republic of Slovenia and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Borut Pahor, received the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is currently on an official visit to Slovenia. His visit comes on the tenth anniversary of Slovenia’s membership of NATO.

Mr Pahor and Mr Rasmussen discussed, in particular, Slovenia’s contribution to the Alliance and preparations for the NATO Summit which is to take place in Wales on 4 and 5 September 2014 and which will provide an opportunity for the Alliance to look to the future after the completion of the NATO-led ISAF combat mission in Afghanistan.

The NATO Secretary General commended Slovenia on its contribution to NATO’s international missions and its role in ensuring stability in the region. In his view, all Slovenian military personnel enjoy great respect. He outlined a strategy for Afghanistan, which is a transition from NATO’s effort to assist in providing security across the country to providing training and assistance to Afghan security forces. September’s NATO summit will also be concerned with modernising the Alliance's military capabilities to ensure that it is well equipped for future challenges. Mr Rasmussen also touched on Slovenia’s declining defence budget and investments in military capabilities related to it, stressing the possibility of Allies pooling their resources to work on joint defence projects.

President Pahor said that he would strive to ensure that as a NATO member Slovenia would continue to demonstrate its commitment to the Alliance, highlighting Slovenia’s readiness to cooperate, in particular, in areas in which the Slovenian Armed Forces can contribute knowledge and expertise. He also stressed the importance of NATO’s role in ensuring stability in the Western Balkans and called for the further enlargement of the Alliance.


Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA