The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited Slovenia
Slovenia, 14-15 November 2001
The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rafael Estrella
visited Slovenia on a two-day visit, accompanied by the Assembly's
Secretary General Simon Lunn. Estrella and Lunn, invited by Slovene
Speaker of Parliament Borut Pahor met the parliamentary foreign and
defence committees, Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek, President Milan
Kucan, Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Defence Minister Anton
Grizold.
NATO's Parliamentary Assembly said that the purpose of the visit is
to inspect Slovenia's preparations for NATO accession. Estrella after
meeting with Slovene Speaker of Parliament Borut Pahor in Ljubljana
assured that all enlargement scenarios discussed by the Assembly
include Slovenia and a various number of other candidate countries.
Estrella stressed that Slovenia must continue intensive
preparations for NATO membership until the Prague summit. NATO does
not need Slovenia only for its military contribution, said Esterella,
as NATO's role is not merely military- oriented, furthermore and
increasingly so, it is a maker of peace and stability in Europe after
the end of the cold war. NATO needs Slovenia because it is in a
strategic position for the stability and security in Southeast Europe,
while it is also a Mediterranean country, pointed out Estrella.
The National Assembly Speaker Borut Pahor told Estrella that the
Slovene Parliament greatly supports Slovenia's accession to NATO and
the EU. He also formally presented Slovenia's official candidacy to
host a session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2005. Estrella
accepted the offer and expressed conviction that Slovenia would host
the Assembly as a member of the Alliance.
As a member of NATO, Slovenia could play an important role in
resolving the situation in SE Europe, agreed President of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly Rafael Estrella during the meeting with the
Slovene President Milan Kucan.
One of the main goals of the Slovene independence ten year ago, was
to be placed in a space where the prevailing values are those on which
the EU and NATO are based, Kucan stressed in his talks with Estrella.
In the recent period, Slovenia has paid special attention to
military preparedness and fulfillment of the Membership Action Plan
(MAP), said Kucan, stressing that the country would be ready for an
invitation to NATO ahead of the Prague summit next November.
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