Slovenia and NATO in 2001
Chronology of events in 2001
2-4 February, Munich - Dr Rupel at 37th International Conference
on Security Policy
Minister Rupel took part in the three-day 37th International
Conference on Security Policy, where he spoke on enlargement of the
NATO Alliance.
7 February, Ljubljana - Meeting with NATO expert group
A working meeting between a visiting NATO expert group and
representatives from the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Ministry of Defence took place at the Ministry of Defence. It
addressed progress in carrying out the annual Membership Action Plan
(MAP) for 2002-2001 for accession to the NATO alliance.
1 March, Brussels - Session of Alliance's Political-Military
Steering Committee
At the session of the alliance's Political-Military Steering
Committee, a main theme of the session was dedicated to assessing
Slovenian progress in implementing its Membership Action Plan for
accession to the NATO alliance.
16 March, Ljubljana - Visit by members of NATO Parliamentary
Assembly subcommittee
Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly subcommittee for Central
and Eastern Europe paid a visit to a unit of the Slovenian Armed
Forces.
19 March, Ljubljana - Public consultation on Slovenia's
accession to NATO
The foreign ministry, defence ministry and the Atlantic Council of
Slovenia prepared the first public consultation on Slovenia's
accession to NATO.
24-31 March, Washington -Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel visits
US
The foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel, presented Slovenia's interest
in joining the NATO alliance to senators and their colleagues and
explained the Slovenian perspective on events in the Balkans.
5 April, Brussels - Ministers Grizold and Rupel satisfied with
NATO Alliance's assessment
At a meeting of the NATO Alliance in Brussels the foreign and
defence ministers, Dimitrij Rupel and Anton Grizold, expressed their
desire that Slovenia be invited to join NATO at the Alliance's Prague
Summit.
26 April, Ljubljana - Adoption of Communication Strategy for
Slovenia's accession to NATO
The government confirmed the Communication Strategy for the
accession of Slovenia to NATO, which outlined activities for greater
exchange of information and public dialogue on all aspects of
membership and its significance for Slovenia.
29 May, Budapest - Slovenian participation at spring session of
EAPC foreign ministers
A Slovenian delegation participated in the two-day regular spring
session of foreign ministers from member states of the NATO alliance,
which began in Budapest.
25 July, Brussels - Defence Minister Anton Grizold meets NATO
General Secretary
The defence minister, Anton Grizold, discussed Slovenian
preparations for membership with the General Secretary of the NATO
alliance, George Robertson.
17 August, Port of Koper - Temporary base for US Armed Forces
for transshipment of military equipment to Bosnia-Hercegovina
The US Army and the joint-stock company Luka Koper signed a
non-compulsory commercial contract for transshipment of military
equipment via the Port of Koper to crisis areas in the former
Yugoslavia.
17 September, Ankaran - International military exercise
Cooperative Engagement 2001
The international military exercise Cooperative Engagement 2001
began under the direction of the Commander of the Allied Naval Forces
of NATO's Southern wing from Naples at the Ankaran military facility.
27 September, Ljubljana - Adoption of National Programme for
Implementation of MAP for Accession to NATO Alliance
The government debated and adopted the annual National Programme
for the Implementation of the Membership Action Plan for Accession to
the NATO Alliance (MAP) for the period 2001/2002.
2 October, Ljubljana - Communications workshop on NATO
The Public Relations and Media Office organised a communications
workshop on NATO for staff at the state office. The Director of
Information and Press of the NATO Alliance, Jamie Shea, paid a visit
to Slovenia on this occasion.
3-7 October, Bled - 47th annual assembly of Atlantic Treaty
Association (ATA)
The 4th annual assembly of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA)
took place in Bled. In the wake of the tragic events in the US and the
decision of the NATO Alliance to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter,
special attention was dedicated to the campaign against international
terrorism.
4 October, Bled - Meeting of foreign ministers from Vilnius
group of candidates for NATO
During the ATA assembly, the foreign ministers of the Vilnius group
of countries aspiring for NATO membership met in Bled on 4 October
2001. The ministers emphasised the importance of cooperation among
candidates for membership in the NATO Alliance and focused
particularly on expansion of the NATO Alliance and the global
coalition against terror.
5 October, Sofia - Meeting of presidents from Vilnius group
In Sofia the presidents of the Vilnius group of candidate countries
for membership in the NATO alliance met for the first time. In his
speech, President Kucan spoke of the significance of the alliance's
expansion for the strengthening of security and stability throughout
Europe and expressed Slovenia's readiness to cooperate in
strengthening Euro-Atlantic security.
24 October, Ljubljana - Act on Classified Data adopted
On 25 October 2001 the National Assembly adopted the Act on
Classified Data, which ensures conformity with EU and NATO
legislation.
3 November, New York - USD 4.5 million in assistance for
Slovenia
The United States House of Representatives Committee on
International Relations endorsed a bill on the further expansion of
the NATO alliance, which was introduced by a joint congressional group
of Democrats and Republicans. USD 4.5 million in assistance is
anticipated for Slovenia.
9 November, New York - Slovenia joins campaign against
terrorism
The President of the Republic, Milan Kucan, and foreign minister
Dimitrij Rupel participated in the 56th session of the UN General
Assembly.
9 November, Nova Gorica - Partnership for Peace Language
Training Centre
The Partnership for Peace Language Training Centre was opened at
the military facility in Ajsevica near Nova Gorica.
9 November, Ljubljana - Study of legal aspects of Slovenian
accession to NATO
The subgroup for legal affairs of the interdepartmental working
group for the participation of Slovenia with the NATO alliance and
Partnership for Peace member states organised a workshop that studied
the legal aspects of accession to NATO.
12 November, Ljubljana - Visit by NATO General Secretary George
Robertson to Slovenia
At the invitation of Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek, the General
Secretary of the NATO alliance, George Robertson, arrived in Slovenia
for an official one-day visit. He also met the President of the
National Assembly, Borut Pahor, President Kucan and the defence
minister, Anton Grizold.
3-16 November, Washington, DC - Visit by Foreign Minister Rupel
to US
The Foreign Minister, Dimitrij Rupel, met the US Deputy Secretary
of State Richard Armitage at the State Department. They discussed
Slovenian efforts towards accession to the NATO alliance, the
antiterrorist coalition and conditions in Southeast Europe, as well as
American-Slovenian visa policy.
14-15 November, Ljubljana - Visit by President of NATO
Parliamentary Assembly, Rafael Estrella
At the invitation of the President of the National Assembly, Borut
Pahor, the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Rafael
Estrella, arrived in Slovenia for a two-day visit to become acquainted
with Slovenia's preparations for accession to the NATO alliance.
5 December, Ljubljana - Visit by General Carlton W. Fulford
The defence minister, Anton Grizold, received the Deputy
Commander-in-Chief, US European Command, General Carlton
W. Fulford. General Fulford was acquainted with the activities being
carried out by Slovenia for accession to the NATO Alliance.
7 December, Ljubljana - Autumn session of Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council (EAPC) foreign ministers
Dr Dimitrij Rupel participated in the regular autumn session of
foreign ministers from the Euro- Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC).
16 December, Ljubljana - Tenth anniversary of School for
NCOs
On 16 December 1991, the head of the Territorial Defence of the
Republic of Slovenia, Major General Janez Slapar, ordered the founding
of the School for NCOs of the Territorial Defence of the Republic of
Slovenia. This was the foundation for the development of the
educational system of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of
Slovenia.
18 December, Brussels - Agreement on bilateral cooperation
signed
The defence minister, Anton Grizold, and his Belgian counterpart
André Flahaut signed an agreement on bilateral cooperation in defence
at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels.
19 December, Brussels - Meeting of Euro-Atlantic Partnership
Council defence ministers
Mr Anton Grizold, took part in the regular autumn meeting of
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) defence ministers at a
session of the NATO Alliance in Brussels, where he presented the
repositioning of the military capability of the Slovenian Armed Forces
to new dangers.
20 December, Ljubljana - Government adopts Defence Strategy
The Government adopted the Defence Strategy of the Republic of
Slovenia, which defines the objectives, guidelines and basic solutions
for the further development of the defence system and its components.
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