Chairman of the NATO Military Committee: Slovenia is a steadfast Ally
General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee visited Ljubljana10 and 11 April 2018. During his visit, the Chairman met with the President of Slovenia, His Excellency, Borut Pahor, the Minister of Defence, Ms Andreja Katic, the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Alan Geder, the Committee of Defence of the National Assembly, as well as other high ranking military and political officials.
In his meeting with President Pahor, discussions centered on NATO’s continued adaptation and Slovenia’s contribution to euro-Atlantic security. General Pavel stated ‘The Western Balkans is a region of strategic importance for NATO. Slovenia plays an important role in the region by increasing the stability and security in this region which benefits stability and security in Europe.
Speaking with Ms Andreja Katic, General Pavel commended Slovenia for increasing its defence spending and the progress it has made. The Chairman stressed that it was not just about spending more but investing in key capabilities, and contributing to NATO missions and operations.
Major General Geder and General Pavel focused their discussions on NATO Operations, Missions and Activities. They noted that the Alliance needs to continually be prepared to counter any threats from any direction and the importance of interoperability between Allied and Partner forces. The Chairman used the opportunity to thank Slovenia for its important contributions to NATO. He stressed ‘Slovenia helps build stability in Kosovo and throughout the Western Balkans with hundreds of troops in our KFOR mission, Slovenian troops also participate in our training mission in Afghanistan as well as to the enhanced Forward Presence multinational NATO battlegroup in Latvia’
While in Slovenia, the Chairman also received briefings at the General Staff on the status of the Slovenian Armed Forces, their operations and future plans as well as the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence. General Pavel delivered a presentation to the Minister of Defence senior officers on “Challenges for NATO - today and tomorrow’.