Tuerk told a ceremony at the Cerklje ob Krki barracks that Slovenians should be proud of their army, which has achieved much and is adapting to the challenges of the times.
As part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the army, Tuerk bestowed the Golden Order of Services to the force as a whole. "Let this be a show of gratitude to all those who are here today, to all army staff and all those who served in the army since 1991."
But his praise was overshadowed by a call from the Soldiers' Union for the sacking of Chief-of-Staff, Maj Gen Alojz Steiner, over alleged violations of labour legislation.
Only hours before Tuerk made his address, the union called on Defence Minister Ljubica Jelusic to replace Steiner, accusing him of overturning promotions and cancelling overtime payments.
"Is this what we fought for 20 years ago - a country and army that brazenly violate the rights of its own soldiers," the union said in a statement.
The call drew a strong response from Jelusic, who said that the trade union in question does no represent all Slovenian soldiers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony in Cerklje ob Krki, Jelusic said she was not aware of the demands made by the trade union, but added that she expected all servicemen and women to show loyalty to their organisation and their country on a day as important as Army Day.
Jelusic had highlighted the importance of establishing an armed force for obtaining independence 20 years ago as she addressed a separate ceremony on Saturday.
Marking the last fighting of World War II in Poljana in the north of the country, Jelusic told the ceremony that a nation can only be sovereign when it has its own army and when it is capable of training and developing that force.
This was echoed by Tuerk at Sunday's ceremony, as he recalled the events of the independence period, saying that lessons learned then must be cherished as the army performs its duties of protecting Slovenia and defending international peace today.
He hailed the work of Slovenian troops in international missions, saying that "new needs will make it even more important that we are proactive in helping to shape an international security architecture".
Tuerk, who acts as the commander-in-chief of the army, said that while the army's role in international missions may make people forget that it also has the role of defending the homeland, the need to develop both aspects is paramount.
He called for Slovenia to nurture its instinct of self-defence demonstrated throughout its history in building an excellent army. "My warnings in this respect concern the need to build a strategic reserve and expand voluntary services."
The celebrations of Army Day will continue on Monday as an exhibition dubbed "20 Years of the Slovenian Army" by the Military Museum of the Slovenian Armed Forces will open in the foyer of the National Assembly. The show will be on display until 20 May.
The roots of the Slovenian Armed Forces go back to 15 May 1991, when first Slovenian draftees started military training organised in Maribor and Ljubljana by the Territorial Defence Forces, the precursor of today's Slovenian army.
Exactly two weeks later, the first clash between the emerging Slovenian armed forces and the Yugoslav People's Army (JLA) took place at Pekre near Maribor. The incident is considered a milestone in Slovenia's history.
Today, the Slovenian Armed Forces consist of more than 9,000 soldiers, of which 18% are reserve soldiers. The army is currently present in nine international operations and missions in Europe, Africa and Asia, a majority of them (407 out of 447) in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
SOURCE: The Slovenia Times
