Marko Štucin, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, expressed his satisfaction with the good neighbourly and partnership relations between Slovenia and Austria. In their talks, both he and Ms Arpa advocated for strengthening cooperation, cross-border integration and people-to-people contacts, and underlined the importance of close economic relations as Austria is one of Slovenia's most important economic partners. Current figures show upward trends in trade in goods and services as well as a rise in the number of Austrian tourists visiting Slovenia.

The State Secretary talked about the position and role of the Slovenian minority in Austria. He called for the full realisation of the rights of the minority as enshrined in the Austrian State Treaty. He stressed the importance of paying special attention to the teaching of Slovene and education in the Slovene language from pre-school education to university, as well as to the use of the Slovene language in offices and courts in Carinthia.

State Secretary Štucin and President of the Federal Council Arpa exchanged views on the current situation in the international community, which is leading to new waves of migration and the reintroduction of border controls. According to State Secretary Štucin, Slovenia remains a supporter and defender of the Schengen area and free movement within it.