NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrives today on his first visit to Slovenia to participate in the 71st annual session of the Alliance's Parliamentary Assembly, Slovenian media reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend the meeting, BTA reports.
Slovenia is hosting the session, which will discuss current challenges to the Alliance's security. Nearly 300 representatives are expected to participate, including Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and Ukrainian President Zelensky.
The meeting will approve the documents adopted by NATO, which will lay the foundation for the future work of the Alliance.
Slovenian Defense Minister Borut Sajović noted to Radio Slovenia that an open dialogue between the allies is expected. He added that each of the 32 member states has its own borders and specificities and that "all this diversity must be united in one powerful bundle that can bend but never break."
Rutte will meet with Slovenian Prime Minister Golob, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, Parliament Speaker Urška Klakočar Župančić, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Defense Minister Borut Sajović, Slovenian national broadcaster RTV Slo reported.
The meetings will discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, where Slovenia is participating with one of its largest contingents abroad, as well as NATO operations in Kosovo (KFOR).
Rutte's visit to Slovenia and the NATO session come a few months after the landmark summit in The Hague, where several leaders of member states pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, recalls RTV Slo.