Nato: NATO International Military Staff Press Release : Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee visits Slovakia 1-2 June 2009

Bratislava, Slovakia - Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, concluded a two-day working visit to the Republic of Slovakia at the invitation of the Slovakian Chief of Defence, Lt Gen Ľubomír Bulík.

During the visit, Admiral Di Paola had the opportunity to meet H.E. Jaroslav Baška, Minister of Defence, and H.E. Diana Štrofová, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Opening his meeting with the NATO delegation, Minister of Defence, Jaroslav Baška confirmed the recently announced increase of the Slovakian contribution to NATO’s ISAF operation in Afghanistan. On behalf of the Alliance, Admiral Di Paola welcomed this decision and underlined that, despite the difficult economical situation, Slovakia is setting an example in its commitment towards investing in peace and security.

The Chairman took the opportunity to praise the Slovakian contribution to other NATO-led operations and initiatives, such as KFOR and the NATO Response Force. With regard to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, he further pointed out that a stronger civilian involvement of the international community is needed.

Minister of Defence Jaroslav Baška highlighted the importance of NATO’s ongoing Strategic Concept development. Referring to the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit Declaration, Admiral di Paola stressed the need of the involvement of all nations in drafting the new concept, which will define NATO’s longer-term role in the challenging security environment of the 21st century. “In an ever changing world, the Alliance has to adapt its capabilities to meet new security challenges,” the Chairman of the Military Committee stated. “First of all, the Strategic Concept will have to be an intellectual, open-minded, forward-looking and collective exercise that looks at what the Alliance intends to be in the future,” Di Paola said, concluding that the Strategic Concept will be a milestone in building new awareness of what the Alliance stands for.

In the meeting with Gen. Bulík and the Slovakian General Staff, views were exchanged on the main priorities set by the Headquarters in Bratislava. Emphasis was on support to international operations, the need to increase Slovakian Armed Force interoperability, revision of Slovakian Armed Forces Headquarters and optimization of expenditure to better tackle the current and future challenges in the security scenario.

A comprehensive briefing about reforms to the Slovakian Armed Forces, specifically with regard to force structure and personnel, was given by Major General Martin Babiak, Chief of the Strategic Planning and Capabilities Cell, also in charge of Transformation. In line with the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit Declaration on Alliance Security, Admiral Di Paola reaffirmed the need to transform and adapt NATO structures in order to have a leaner and more cost-effective organization.

The Alliance’s 60th anniversary coincides with Slovakia’s 5th anniversary of NATO membership, and in this context, during the meeting between H.E. Diana Štrofová, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, current security challenges for NATO and its members were discussed.

State Secretary and Admiral Di Paola agreed on the need to support and increase dialogue with all other actors operating in the global scenario of security, specifically mentioning Europe and Russia. Also underlined was the need to better develop Strategic Communications approaches and tools, in order to improve public awareness about NATO’s role and mission.

At the end of the visit, the NATO delegation was invited to the Military Training Area Lest to attend a demonstration of peace keeping operations by the Slovakian Armed Forces.

Addressing the media at a joint Press Conference, the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee expressed once again, on behalf of the Alliance, gratitude for Slovakia’s increased and consistent contribution to NATO in achieving their common goals, praising Gen Bulík for his excellent leadership in running the transformation programme of the Slovakian Armed Forces.

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