State Secretary Žbogar attends the opening of the Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia and the business seminar in Fukui, Japan

21. 10. 2022

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar addressed the participants at the opening ceremony of the Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Fukui, Japan, along with Honorary Consul of the Republic of Slovenia Tetsuji Shindo and senior representatives of national, regional and local authorities. During his visit, the State Secretary participated in a business seminar on IT solutions and space technologies.

state secretary and other participants of the meeting — State Secretary Žbogar at the opening of the Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Fukui | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve

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“Japan is one of Slovenia’s most important partners in Asia. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, partnership and friendship between the two countries. Over the years, we have established strong political ties and increased cultural and economic exchanges,” affirmed State Secretary Žbogar. He added that Japanese companies see great potential in Slovenia for further opportunities and investment, which has increased tenfold in the past decade.

The Consulate’s main tasks are the promotion of Slovenia and assistance in establishing contacts in the economic, cultural and scientific areas, as well as in education and sports. The Consulate will be available for requests for assistance from Slovenian citizens and legal entities operating in the Fukui Prefecture area. The cooperation between Slovenia and the city of Fukui has developed in the wake of the warm welcome extended to the Slovenian national teams in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

On this occasion, a business seminar on IT solutions and space technologies was organised to present the Slovenian business environment and opportunities for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.

Together with representatives of the Spirit Slovenia Public Agency, the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and Slovenian companies CosyLab and SkyLabs, the State Secretary gave an overview of the activities and achievements of the Slovenian space sector. The Slovenian presenters informed the participants about the Slovenian satellites Nemo Hd, TriSat and TriSat-R, and the installation of the “human centrifuge” at the Planica Nordic Centre in Slovenia, which is one of the three European Space Agency research centres able to boast such a facility. On the Japanese side, achievements in space technologies were presented by the companies Nesty and Seiren.

The business event was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovenian Embassy in Tokyo and the new Consulate in Fukui.