"Today's award is an expression of the gratitude of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian people to our Slovenian friends, the Minister and the State Secretary, for their resolute support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for their important personal contribution to the Slovenian Government's decision-making process on the provision of military assistance to Ukraine in the fight against the large-scale aggression of the Russian agressor," Ambassador Andriy Taran said in his introductory remarks.

Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec was awarded the Badge of Honour for his significant personal contribution to the development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Minister's commendation refers to the activities of the entire Slovenian defence system in support of the defence of Ukraine and the Minister's support in international fora where decisions on support for the defence of Ukraine are taken. The Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, Dr Damir Črnčec, was awarded the Medal for Assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for his significant personal contribution to the development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksei Reznikov have thanked Slovenia on several occasions for its all-round assistance to Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Slovenia has shown its support at political, humanitarian, material and military level. According to Ukraine, Slovenia's military and non-military assistance to Ukraine is appreciated, and the donated equipment and aid have helped both to successfully defend the country and to ease the lives of the population when critical infrastructure has been attacked, which puts Slovenia high on the list of Ukraine's supporters. Minister Reznikov thanked Minister Šarec in particular for his visit to Ukraine at the end of November 2022 as a sign of solidarity at a time when Ukraine was exposed to violent attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure systems on which the civilian population depends for its livelihood.

"Our two Defence Ministries are actively cooperating in a number of areas, with friendly personal relations established at the level of the ministries' leadership, and fruitful ongoing communication between the Embassy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia. Most importantly, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and its leadership have been our reliable friends, who have not hesitated to lend a hand of support to Ukraine in the difficult times of the Russian all-out invasion," concluded Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia Andriy Taran, as he presented the decorations to the Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia.

Both the Minister and the State Secretary expressed their sincere gratitude for the honours they have received, which are proof that together we believe in Ukraine's victory, the victory of a country that has been the victim of aggression and that is on its way to re-establishing its sovereignty.