30 June 2005

Secretary General visits Slovakia In November 2004 President Gasparovic visited NATO HQ News 29/06/2005 - NATO Secretary General to visit Slovakia Opinions 30/06/2005 - NATO Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Bratislava, Slovakia On 30 June, for the first time since Slovakia joined the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited the capital, Bratislava, for a series of high-level meetings. He met President Ivan Gasparovic, Speaker of the National Council Pavel Hrusovsky, Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan and Defence Minister Juraj Liska. He also attended a bi-annual gathering of senior Slovak diplomats. Discussions focused mainly on NATO's current missions to address new security challenges and its ongoing efforts to develop the Alliance's military capabilities. The Secretary General welcomed Slovakia's contributions to the NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans, as well as its role in NATO's training mission in Iraq. He also praised Slovakia for its good record on defence reform, encouraging its government to continue on this path of modernisation and to allocate the necessary resources. During his visit, the Secretary General was invited to address the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. Setting out the major changes in today's security environment and the way in which the Allies are responding, he said that "the main reason for NATO's enduring resilience is its adaptability -- its ability to react to changing circumstances, and to deal with new challenges." He highlighted the need for new security thinking, which encompasses the need to project stability beyond the Alliance's traditional area of responsibility to address the threats of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. To be able to address today's threats effectively, he also pointed to the need for modern military capabilities, which can be deployed over long distances and sustained over extended periods of time, and for the broadest possible cooperation between states and institutions. Finally, he stressed the need to strengthen the Alliance as an essential forum for transatlantic strategic and political discussion.