Cerar said after the meeting that he and Stoltenberg had a very "frank and in-depth" exchange of views. He stressed that Slovenia would boost defence spending in the future, as this was the responsible thing to do.

Cerar added that paying one's fair share of defence spending is important, but another important fact is that Slovenia shares NATO's values: The country's participation in international missions is "exemplary", said Cerar.

Slovenia's Prime Minister also touched upon the situation in the Western Balkans, stressing that the current situation in the region requires NATO's attention. He believes that NATO should maintain an open-door policy – a strategy that paid dividends in the case of Montenegro.

Cerar also talked to US President Donald Trump. He described their first meeting as "good" and stressed that Trump believes in working together for common goals and values, even though his country doesn't always see eye to eye with other member states.

A. Č. (MMC), M. T. (RA SLO); translated by D. V.