Steiner said after the meeting that the admiral had been presented with the achievements of the Slovenian Armed Forces in terms of its integration in NATO, as well as with certain problems it was facing. He pointed to the problems related to the planned capacities of the Slovenian Armed Forces and funding cuts.
Di Paola said that he was impressed with the field hospital Role 2 and the 18th battalion for protection against radiological, chemical and biological hazards, presented on Wednesday at the Svizec 09 military exercise in Cerklje ob Krki.
"The alliance is thankful for the contribution of the Slovenian forces as part of international missions. The situation in Afghanistan is critical and all allies which can contribute to a success there are important to us," Di Paola said.
Asked about Slovenia not being able to purchase all of the APCs it order initially, Di Paola said that not only Slovenia, but all NATO members were currently facing big challenges caused by a lack of funds due to the financial crisis.
"I personally think that Slovenia is fulfiling its commitments and that it has to continue to do so, and this is why I believe that we will be able to tackle the future challenges together," he added.
According to Di Paola, Slovenia is undergoing a transformation process and it has to continue with it. "What I saw and heard today convinced me that it is on the right track," the admiral added.
Di Paola was not able to say when the Slovenian APCs will be sent to Afghanistan, and noted that such participation was a sovereign decision of national governments.
He added that NATO expected from all allies to continue with the training of Afghan military and police forces, which is a key task for establishing security in the country.
