23 Apr. 2004

NATO Secretary General congratulates Slovenia on membership News 22/04/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Slovenia Opinions Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the Slovenian Parliament, Ljubljana, Slovenia During a visit to Ljubljana on 23 April, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer congratulated Slovenia on its accession to NATO, calling it “a rightly deserved achievement”. Speaking to the Slovenian Parliament, the Mr. de Hoop Scheffer said that as the first country from the former Yugoslavia to make it into NATO and the EU, Slovenia can “serve as a model of a successful transition – and a beacon for those countries who have yet to complete their own transition.” “Your country’s success story is ample proof that genuine commitment and hard work pays off. I am happy for Slovenia to have achieved so much. And I am proud that NATO has a country like yours among its members,” he added. The Secretary General was in Slovenia as part of a round of visits to NATO member countries ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Istanbul, 28 and 29 June. He discussed key issues on the Summit agenda in meetings with President Janez Drnovšek, Prime Minister Anton Rop, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Defence Minister Anton Grizold.