NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen commended Slovenia for its strong commitment to the Alliance and contributions to NATO missions and operations over the past ten years during talks with Slovenian leaders on Friday.
"This year we mark the tenth anniversary of Slovenia's accession to NATO. Your accession, together with six other nations, has reinforced regional and Euro-Atlantic security," the NATO Secretary General said after his talks with Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek.
During his visit to Ljubljana, Rasmussen discussed preparations for the Wales Summit in September, and reviewed NATO's operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. He also met with President Borut Pahor and Janko Veber, President of the National Assembly.
Rasmussen said he looked forward to Slovenia's strong engagement as the Alliance prepares for the next NATO Summit, saying: "At the Wales summit we will build on past achievements to face the challenges of the future."
"I know the economic hardship which many Allies have suffered, including Slovenia, and I am grateful for your continued support to our operations despite the tough times," he said. "Security has a cost, but the price of insecurity is much higher."
Speaking at a roundtable dedicated to the tenth anniversary of Slovenia's membership of NATO, called "Slovenia and NATO -Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow," Rasmussen stressed that "alongside the enlargement of the European Union, NATO's open door policy has been a real success story. For Slovenia. And for the Alliance."
He stressed that "as a member of the Alliance, you are part of a unique transatlantic family. You have a right full place at the table where Europeans and North Americans consult together. Decide together. And act together. Every day."
Adding that "NATO as a whole has benefited from your membership. Slovenia has shown a strong commitment to the defining principles and values of our Alliance," Rasmussen described Slovenia as a "permanent reminder of the success of our Open Door policy".
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