VISIT OF THE DOCTRINE, DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND OF SLOVENIAN ARMED FORCES AT IRINI OPERATIONAL HEADQUARTERS (OHQ)
On April 8th, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI Operation Commander, Rear Admiral Valentino RINALDI, the Chief of Staff, Commodore Spyridon POLLATOS and the Chief of the CIMIC branch, Captain Tomazic BOGOMIR, welcomed the Commander of the Command Staff School, Colonel Jure KREJAC, Course Director, Lieutenant Colonel Albin TEPEH, Lecturer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert MLAKAR and a delegation of 26 Officers from the Doctrine, Development, Education and Training Command of Slovenian Armed Forces at the IRINI Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Rome.
During the briefing on the characteristics of the Operation IRINI, the delegation was given a comprehensive overview of the tasks and results achieved in the activities carried out, in particular the impartial and effective implementation of the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the UN Security Council to restore peace and stability, as well as the fight against human trafficking and oil smuggling, and the development of Capacity Building and Training (CB&T) initiatives to support the Libyan maritime authorities.
Moreover it was also highlighted that the recent EU Security Council resolution 488/2025 approved the two-year extension of the mandate of the Operation, until March 2027, and assigned the new fundamental task to contribute to the Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) on other illicit activities in order to defend EU interests in the area with particular regard to the protection of the critical underwater infrastructure.
The visit of the delegation of the Slovenian Armed Forces was an excellent opportunity to illustrate the activities conducted by Operation IRINI and it was a moment of fruitful sharing of insights and perspectives. In this context, the importance of strengthening the common commitment of EU Member States to contribute to security in the central Mediterranean was reaffirmed, highlighting the ongoing and highly professional support provided by Slovenian staff and the close cooperation with their colleagues from other contributing Member States.
