Cerar said after the meeting at the lakeside resort that the Slovenian-born general and him had found cooperation between Slovenia, the US and NATO to be going well.

The pair also addressed challenges, notably how to improve the situation of the Slovenian Armed Forces and make sure Slovenia remains a responsible NATO member.

"I provided all the necessary assurances that we will strive to meet the commitments we have as a NATO member and of course we will continue working in this direction intensively in the coming months an years," the prime minister said.

Gorenc thanked Slovenia for its efforts within NATO and expressed his conviction that it will be an important part of any future initiative.

Asked about Russia, the general said its actions were a cause for concern, but that the important thing was to the strengthen the alliance and deter Moscow from potential future steps.

As regards the attendance in July of Russian President Vladimir Putin at a memorial ceremony in Slovenia, he said that this was a matter of the Slovenian people and government. He understands the historical ties and sees not problem.

Meanwhile, Cerar presented to Gorenc a special initiative to honour cooperation between Slovenia and the US during WWII.

Pointing out that a memorial plaque was already unveiled in Pivka in 2014 to remember the participation of US and British pilots in the fight of the Partisan resistance movement against Nazism, Cerar said he would like to see a joint memorial event organised each year.

Also, all the relevant documents and material would be assembled and displayed in a large exhibition space, possible in Otok pri Metliki, the location of a Partisan airport during the war.

The general accepted the initiative and a taskforce is to be formed to organise future steps.

Gorenc was moreover decorated today with a medal for international cooperation of the first degree. He received the medal, which is given out by the Slovenian Defence Ministry, from the hands of State Secretary Miloš Bizjak.