25 Jan. 2005

Prime Minister of Slovenia visits NATO News 25/01/2005 - NATO Visit to NATO by the Prime Minister of Slovenia, H. E. Mr. Janez Jansa on Tuesday, 25 January 2005 Opinion 25/01/2005 - NATO Press briefing by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the Prime Minister of Slovenia, H. E. Mr. Janez Jansa Multimedia Audio file of the press briefing (.MP3/2510kb) High resolution photos Visiting NATO on 25 January, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Jansa, said that his country is continuing its defence restructuring and that it will reach its targets for defence spending. Mr. Jansa came to NATO Headquarters for talks with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. They discussed the main issues on NATO’s agenda, including the Alliance’s operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and its partnerships with non-NATO countries. A staunch Ally The Secretary General and the Prime Minister also discussed the defence reform process in Slovenia. Mr. Jansa confirmed to the Secretary General that Slovenia is continuing its defence reform and restructuring, and that it will, in 2008, reach its target of two percent GDP in defence spending. “Slovenia is a staunch and important Ally, participating in NATO operations in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, participating in the training mission in Iraq,” said the Secretary General in a joint press point with Mr. Jansa. Slovenia is one of seven countries that joined NATO in 2004. This was the first visit by Prime Minister Jansa to NATO, and the highest-ranking visit by a Slovenian official to NATO HQ since the country’s accession to NATO.