IN FOCUS

Slovenia Before the NATO Summit Meeting in Prague

Public Presentation of Opinions in the National Assembly
Ljubljana, 16 January 2002

Photo: BOBO

President of the National Assembly,
President of the Republic,
Prime Minister,
members of Parliament,
citizens of the Republic of Slovenia

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to say a few words.

I cordially welcome the initiative to organize today's public presentation of opinions on Slovenia's process of integration into NATO. I am pleased with the interest of the Slovenian citizens who participated and - I am convinced - will participate in similar meetings in this historic year when Slovenia most likely will be invited to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

At the Summit Meeting in Prague, NATO will invite new countries to join the Alliance. I personally do not doubt that Slovenia will also be invited. This invitation will not be an approbation of Slovenia's democracy and the versatile and successful development of our young country nor the icing on the cake of our independence which we achieved ten years ago. It will not be compensation for the sort of injustice which we allegedly encountered at the Summit Meeting in Madrid in 1997 nor a reward for pleasing NATO nor a consolence of desires of Western democracies to integrate Slovenia into their associations. No, Ladies and Gentlemen. If NATO operated like this, it would not have existed more than 50 years. And it hasnot only existed but has also been reinforced since the cessation of the bipolar division of Europe.

NATO is a political and defense alliance of democratic and sovereign countries which operates based on the concordance between all member states. In the event that there is no concordance, it does not operate and nothing happens. A transparent operation of all 19 democracies reinforces NATO and the highest possible level of legitimacy. NATO is not supervised by any world power or any supra-governmental institution but by 19 parliaments, 19 governments and the public opinion of 19 nations. And this is the reason NATO has been preserved. And even more. The world is changing. NATO is changing and developing in order to meet the security requirements of its member states. We can assure expert and political institutions that NATO is a democratic alliance.

Slovenia will accept the invitation since, first of all, Slovenia clearly expressed its intention to become a full member of NATO. Secondly, because it meets the democratic standards, is certainly a reliable and trustworthy partner and fulfills all the conditions which make the implementation of development plans possible. And thirdly, because NATO is also interested in Slovenia's membership.

Dear fellow citizens,

There are two million of us and the only thing we have is what we are capable of creating. Seen objectively, we can never be so rich as to be able to afford a self-sufficient defense- security system. Most of us still remember the defense system of the former common state, the People's General Defense and the Social Self Defense. Let us remember how much effort we dedicated to the former defense system - money, personnel, the inclusion of all governmental and social structures, etc. The quality of the result compared to the investment was also questionable. In any case, Slovenia is evidently limited in establishing a self-sufficient defense-security system. The difference between the capabilities and actual requirements is referred to as the security risk of a country, society and men. This risk can be avoided with the integration into an appropriate alliance. With regard to the traditions and attitudes of Slovenians as well as the characteristic of the developing Slovenian state, NATO is the appropriate alliance. I would like to emphasize that entering into the alliance will be a historic event, for us and for future generations. It would be irresponsible of a state to postpone the establishment of a defense system, possibly as part of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, from this historic moment to a later time, or to allow or even increase a delay of such a historic event.

In any case, a defense system has to be established and it has to be efficient. Tax payers deserve that their money be allocated rationally. Investments have to bear results, and these are defense capabilities which are a guarantee for increased security. Therefore, NATO represents not only a goal for us, but also the achievement of increased security at a smaller price.

Despite the fact that there is no direct threat to Slovenia at the moment, the current security environment is less stable than it was during the Cold War.

A significant characteristic of the modern security environment is the complexity of a threat at all levels - the individual, local, national, international, regional and global levels. All those threats which have a direct impact on the creation of other threats or are linked with other threats can be referred to as complex. Military conflicts, directly or indirectly, cause an increase in organized crime and terrorism. They also create various threats to the environment, economy, health, politics, information science, etc. Nevertheless, these processes have an inverted effect.

The basic purpose of national security systems is to assure the security of the citizens. The above stated characteristics of modern threats to security and their impact imply a doubt about the efficiency of these systems particularly with regard to various forms of threat. Thus, they have to be adapted to the new situation. But is this enough? What challenge lies ahead of us? What do we have to do to be able to provide an adequate level of security for our citizens with the instruments we have at our disposal?

As minister of defense, responsible for defense within the framework of national security, I always have to ask such and similar questions, in particular after the tragic event on 11 September 2001. New answers and challenges are being formed which we will have to deal with together. On this occasion, I would like to emphasize the two words "together" and "cooperation". Each scenario of measures which has been considered by the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Council of the Republic of Slovenia always includes at least two elements. Namely, the necessity of redefining relations and the strengthening of cooperation with other agencies, services, ministries and various elements of national security systems within the country and at an international level. And secondly, an element which involves me as the Minister of Defense and is at the same time a result of the above mentioned is certainly the fact that NATO as a defense alliance with its partnership programs, despite its increased political role, remains the leading actor in the Euro-Atlantic area in light of the threats of the 21st century.

In the world in which we live, it will be more and more difficult to draw a line between internal and external threats to a country's security. The globalisation process cannot be avoided and that includes positive effects as well as many traps. We can only ask ourselves if we want to be organized in such a manner as to be capable of forming a common future or decide if we want to stay alone and blindly yield ourselves to globalization processes. I would like to emphasize that we cannot afford insincerity. When we are fine (have no problems), we would like to be alone and unconcerned with the international environment, the problems of the international community and its efforts. But when we are facing problems, then NATO membership would be acceptable. Allow me to provide a few examples of Slovenian practices.

At this point, I would like to mention the slogan: "Slovenian soldiers will die for the interests of others!"

Ladies and gentlemen, it is strange to discuss who will die, where he will die and for whom he will die. In the light of prosperity, it implies responsibility and not selfishness. However, the Slovenian public is legitimately questioning where we as a NATO member state will have to participate. But the citizens of other member states have asked the same questions. Do you think it would be fair to ask why Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese or American soldiers had to die because of Slovenian interests? At this point, we have to consider whether Slovenia is worth it. If yes, the citizens of other countries will understand this.

What will change when Slovenia becomes a member of NATO? In the first place, Slovenia's security will be supported by 19 other countries. With regard to the negative experience of Slovenia in the past and the inconsistent security environment, this is the strongest argument for NATO membership. Regarding seemingly negative matters and technology of cooperation nothing much will change. Nothing in the sense of what we wanted to change ourselves. Much will change since Slovenia as a mature country will benefit from membership in the North Atlantic Alliance and will thus open the doors to its further development. With the possible integration into NATO, Slovenia will envisage realistic possibilities to be put on the political map. These possibilities, therefore, imply that it will be easier and more effective to develop a modern national security system. It will be easier to procure and sell equipment. We will do our best when coping with challenges equally and in a responsible way.

The Slovenian Armed Forces will not become a brigade of NATO's south wing but will always remain the Slovenian Armed Forces. NATO does not need military bases on Slovenian territory. If they were necessary, they would exist in order to guarantee Slovenia's security or its direct security interest. The decision about that will certainly be made in the Republic of Slovenia. There will be no nuclear weapons on our territory. We don't send and will not send our conscripts abroad to participate in combat operations.

We will accept our portion of responsibility as we have done as a partner state. We are not participating in peace-support operations in the Balkans in order to be rewarded with NATO membership. We accept our share of responsibility for international security on our own threshold. We are one of the countries whose national interest it is to preserve peace in the Balkans. Along with this, we are among the most capable for the task. Therefore, we direct most of our efforts to our neighborhood.

Dear citizens,

In conclusion, I would like to mention that I do not doubt whether Slovenia will be integrated into NATO or not. In my opinion, the challenge is how to meet the standards as a full member of the Alliance and how to live as a NATO member. Whether we are going to be passengers or constructive members will depend on our knowledge and good organization. We have to establish a system which will be capable of accepting and providing the support of the Alliance. This is what we have been working towards in the area of defense and will continue to do so. I hope that NATO membership will help Slovenia to achieve the excellence which this country certainly deserves.