Prime Minister Golob: "Slovenia is committed to building a resilient society"

The two leaders discussed the tasks and challenges currently faced by NATO in ensuring the security of its member states. They paid particular attention to the commitments made in the recently adopted Hague Summit Declaration, including its emphasis on critical infrastructure protection, network defence, civil preparedness and resilience, innovation and the strengthening of the industrial base.

At a press conference following the meeting, Prime Minister Robert Golob stated that Ljubljana is currently hosting the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, bringing together representatives from across the Alliance, regardless of ideology, to build a common and safer future. "This is further proof that NATO is truly an alliance founded on the values of democracy and the rule of law, and that for small countries such as Slovenia, it represents the best guarantee of our collective security," said the Prime Minister.

He added that today was a good day for the people of Gaza, Palestine and the Middle East. The beginning of the peace process, marked by the release of hostages by Hamas, is, in his view, a very positive development that raises hopes for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza. The Prime Minister offered his sincere congratulations to US President Donald Trump for having succeeded in bringing both sides to the negotiating table. "We also hope that the process of establishing two states will be given a genuine opportunity to take shape, and that Slovenia and the European Union, in a broader sense, will make a meaningful contribution to ensuring that the Palestinians gain the right to live freely in their own country, while peace solutions become a reality," he said.

Secretary-General Rutte and Prime Minister Golob had the opportunity to exchange views beyond the Ukrainian front. "But we believe, much like President Zelensky, that finding a solution for peace in Gaza could also have a positive impact on efforts to reach a ceasefire and, ultimately, peace in Ukraine. More effort will be required to find a solution to bring an end to the suffering in Ukraine," the Prime Minister said. He added that it is our duty to help protect the Ukrainian people. The Prime Minister said this is why Slovenia had decided to join the PURL initiative, aimed at protecting civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine – a task that is all the more important with winter approaching.

He and Secretary-General Rutte also exchanged views on the situation in the Western Balkans. "We fully agreed on the need to do everything we can to stabilise the Western Balkans and prevent tensions from flaring up," he said. Within NATO, Slovenia continues to maintain its presence in the Western Balkans with the aim of ensuring stability and peace in the region. In the longer term, he also mentioned the goal of seeing all the countries in the region become members of both the European Union and NATO.

The Prime Minister also expressed his satisfaction with the discussion on Slovenia's path within NATO, on its defence spending and on how it has planned this path – as a gradual but steady increase in investment in defence, security and resilience. "We made it very clear that each country within the Alliance has its own role. Slovenia, situated at a key geographical crossroads, plays an important logistical role, one that has already been thoroughly analysed in cooperation with NATO bodies and that we intend to further strengthen in the future," the Prime Minister said.

He went on to stress that building a resilient society by strengthening civil protection is a distinctive Slovenian approach. "Slovenia has a very positive experience with its military tradition, particularly when it involved the whole population, and the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces, or its defence and resilience systems, continues in this direction," the Prime Minister said. He added that he believes that peace will be achieved in Ukraine and that people will once again be able to live without fear. That peace will no longer be a dilemma, but something so natural that we no longer have to think about it.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed today's peace talks in a statement, saying it was a truly important day for peace and stability. "We all wish for peace and stability in the Middle East, and we hope this will also help Europe to achieve peace here, where we are witnessing Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he stressed.

He went on to thank Slovenia for hosting the 71st NATO Parliamentary Assembly and emphasised Slovenia's role in the NATO alliance and its participation in international missions, highlighting the particular importance of the Western Balkans for Slovenia. He also pointed out that NATO had also helped Slovenia in the August 2023 floods.

Secretary-General Rutte further stressed that Russia continues to systematically target critical infrastructure, civilians and industry in Ukraine. He also referred to the cyber-attacks and its behaviour in the airspace of some European countries in recent weeks. He stressed that an alliance is strong when it stands united. "At the Hague Summit, we made the decision to invest more in our industry, our defence industry, and to continue to support Ukraine. This means we need to boost industrial production and at the same time strengthen our capacity to keep people safe," he stressed.

In conclusion, the Secretary General thanked the Prime Minister and Slovenia for the well-defined approach that follows the commitments made in The Hague, for Slovenia's important contribution to the Alliance and for hosting the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.