The chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Henri Bentegeat, discussed the participation of the Slovenian army in EU missions as he met in Ljubljana on Monday Slovenian Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Albin Gutman.
Bentegeat and Gutman also examined cooperation between the EU and NATO and the preparations of the Slovenian army ahead of the country's upcoming stint as EU president. Gutman told the press that Slovenian officials - Bentegeat also met Defence Minister Karl Erjavec - acquainted the visiting official with Slovenian efforts to gear up for EU presidency.
Bentegeat said he was impressed by the readiness of the Slovenian Armed Forces for this task. He said it would be the EU Military Committee's job to support Slovenia and help in carrying out the set EU tasks in the defence field.
He said the priorities in terms of missions will include the Balkans, an absolute priority for the EU, as well as operations in Africa, including Chad and the Central African Republic. According to Bentegeat, one of the priorities during Slovenia's presidency would also be the formation of rapid reaction forces. He said the structure would in the future be expanded to include air and maritime capabilities.
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