Prime Minister Golob: "Slovenia has achieved a historic feat"
Prime Minister Robert Golob and State Secretary for International Affairs and National and International Security Vojko Volk talk to the press. | Author Bor Slana/STA
State Secretary Volk provided a brief history of the operation, highlighting that the Prime Minister had been advocating for the exchange of Russian spies since their arrest in December 2022. "For a year, talks with Russian were held in complete secrecy. In February this year, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris resulted in a plan for a joint prisoner exchange, which also included Germany. The exchange was completed in July this year," said State Secretary Volk.
Prime Minister Golob went on to say that he believed from day one in the success of this mission. "In negotiations of this kind, especially when they are conducted in complete secrecy, personal trust between leaders is crucial. The last time I spoke to US President Biden was last night, when he personally thanked me and the Slovenian people for this crucial contribution to saving innocent lives from Russian prisons," said Prime Minister Golob.
"Slovenia has achieved a historic feat," said the Prime Minister. "We have succeeded, if only for a brief moment, in bringing both the United States and Russia together in a positive story. In doing so, Slovenia has once again demonstrated that our influence on the international stage is far greater than our size," concluded Prime Minister Golob.