7

Slovenia will also contribute EUR 8,000 to NATO's helicopter maintenance fund for Afghan air forces, for which NATO and Russia launched the second stage at today's meeting.

Erjavec said on the margins of the meeting that Slovenia was following its plans for a gradual reduction of military presence in Afghanistan by the end of the year. He would not say anything concrete about Slovenia's military presence beyond 2014.

A total of 59 Slovenian troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan and the number of Slovenian soldiers is to be reduced to 39 with the mid-year rotation.

The NATO's and Russian ministers also discussed the situation in Syria, where Erjavec echoed the view of the alliance's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, stressing that a political solution must be sought first.

The Slovenian foreign minister was critical of the rigidity of the UN, which he believes has failed to adapt to time and lacks the mechanisms to prevent the agony in Syria.

In the debate on chemical weapons in Syria, Erjavec said it was unclear whether such weapons had been used and by whom, adding that chemical weapons must be prevented from falling into wrong hands at any cost.