Italian Defence Minister Confident about Slovenian Presidency

Ljubljana, 19 October

Italian Defence Minister Arturo Mario Luigi Parisi pledged Italy's full support for when Slovenia holds the EU's presidency in the first half of 2008 as met his counterpart Karl Erjavec in Ljubljana on Friday.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Erjavec said he briefed Parisi on the priorities of the Slovenian presidency in defence, where the Western Balkans tops the list. "Slovenia will be a leader and model that will help us achieve our common goal - the stabilisation of the Balkans, which is also the prime goal of our cooperation," the Italian minister said. Parisi expressed confidence about the implementation of that objective and noted that the whole of the Balkans should recognise the same goal, membership of the EU and NATO.
The pair of defence ministers established that the EU mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina had been successful and that it would gradually transform into a civilian mission. The situation in Kosovo is more difficult given the pending political resolution of the province's status, Erjavec said, while he added that the pair also found that a continued presence of the peacekeeping operations there was needed.
Apart from the Western Balkans, the Slovenian presidency would also focus on the further development of the EU's military capabilities and the European Defence Agency, which Erjavec said would be a "motor in the development of new military capabilities for the EU's needs".
Erjavec praised the intensive bilateral defence cooperation. Slovenia and Italy participate in the peacekeeping missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and form part of the same multinational battlegroup within the EU. They also cooperate in training and hold common exercises, while Italian air patrols protect the Slovenian air space.
As part of his two-day visit to Slovenia, the Italian defence minister was also due to meet members of the parliamentary Defence Committee today, while he is to visit Kobarid on Saturday to attend a ceremony on the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Kobarid, the final stage of the Isonzo Front (1915-1917).

Italian Defence Minister Confident about Slovenian Presidency

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