The 24th consultation of Slovenian diplomacy, a two-day event, began at the Congress Centre at Brdo pri Kranju on Thursday.

The renewed strategy will represent one of the numerous strategic bases for the 2021-2027 European Cohesion Policy implementation. The workshop organised by the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODC) as the coordinator of Slovenia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy was attended also by the representatives of ministries and 9 strategic research and innovation partnerships (SRIP).

In an extended interview for the Hungarian weekly Figyelo published last Thursday, the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša talked about the country’s struggle against the coronavirus crisis, the economic recovery measures adopted by the government, and further government plans. He also reflected on the cooperation between Hungary and Slovenia, and the European future.

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 were epidemiologist Mateja Logar from the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions at the University Medical Center Ljubljana, Polonca Truden Dobrin from the NIPH, who is an expert on child and adolescent health, and the Government spokesperson, Ambassador Jelko Kacin.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today in Bled met with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The prime ministers discussed the relations between the two countries and their close and comprehensive cooperation.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest of the show Conversations with the people who fought for our independence on RTV Slovenija. In the interview, he spoke of the events that happened 30 years ago during the time of the independence process, about the victory of Demos, the plebiscite, the unity of the Slovenian people at the time of gaining our independence, about the political division of the time, the destroyed archives, the diving line in Slovenian politics, and the subsequent reinterpretation of the events from 30 years ago.

At the end of World War I the world was in the grip of the Spanish flu, which in the Slovenian territory claimed around 6000 lives. The epidemic here was of short duration, perhaps also due to suitable measures taken. To prevent the spreading of the infectious disease, the government of the newly founded State of SHS issued a decree in mid-November 1918, ordering those returning from the front line and those who had already returned but had not been examined yet to undergo obligatory physical examination. The duty of enforcing this state decree was assigned to local authorities. Public proclamation of one such authority, the Ljubljana Town Hall, is preserved by the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the 15th Bled Strategic Forum and participated in the introductory European Leaders' Panel on "Europe after Brexit and COVID–19".

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending the 15th Bled Strategic Forum. Eight heads of state from the region, six foreign ministers, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and numerous other esteemed guests will attend this year’s Forum and participate in the discussions.

At the second panel of the 15th Bled Strategic Forum morning programme, Minister Dr Anže Logar hosted his counterparts from Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, alongside EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the German Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office. The discussion focused on the role of regional integration within the EU, the establishing of links within the Central European region, especially through traffic and energy infrastructure, and on the importance of awareness of the transatlantic partnership.

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Every year, the organisers of the Bled Strategic Forum present the BSF Distinguished Partner Award. In 2020, the award was presented to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

At the 15th Bled Strategic Forum, attention was also paid to the burning issues of cyber security, namely within the panel "Is the Future of Cyberspace Only as a Domain of Conflict?", which was opened by the Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik.

In the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum, Prime Minister Janez Janša met today with Christian Pawlu, Member of the Sandoz Executive Board and the Global Head of Strategy, Portfolio and BD&L, Robert Ljoljo, Novartis President for Slovenia, and Gregor Makuc, the Head of Public Affairs for Slovenia in Novartis.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar opened the 15th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF). In his address in the Bled Festival Hall he expressed his satisfaction that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reshaped the world, this year’s edition of the BSF is taking place in person. He commended the large attendance of high representatives of states and institutions, among them eight prime ministers and six foreign ministers, which will present their visions of tackling the challenges after the pandemic during the Forum.

Today, Minister Dr Anže Logar held a separate meeting with the new Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau on the sidelines of the 15th Bled Strategic Forum. The ministers advocated for further strengthening of cooperation between Slovenia and Poland both at the bilateral level and within regional and supra-regional initiatives. Slovenia and Poland are EU partners and allies within NATO, sharing numerous positions on major international issues.

At today's correspondence meeting, the Government adopted the draft revised national budget for 2020. It also adopted the Act amending the Implementation of the Republic of Slovenia's Budget for 2020 and 2021 Act, which will enable the implementation of this year’s budget after the revised budget comes into effect.

Prime Minister Janez Janša met tonight with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

At the invitation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Minister Dr Logar attended an informal two-day meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Berlin. On the second day, the foreign ministers turned to topic of the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey’s activities in the region.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar is attending an informal two-day meeting of EU foreign ministers in Berlin at the invitation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell and German Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Heiko Maas. On the opening day, the ministers discussed the situation in Belarus and possible EU responses.