Slovenian prime minister Marjan Šarec is paying a return visit to Skopje today at the invitation of North Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev. The Slovenian PM’s visit to North Macedonia represents a continuation of the regular intensive political dialogue between the two countries.

Slovenia is deeply concerned about the Turkish military operation in north-east Syria. The operation could threaten the stability of the wider region and the progress achieved in the fight against Da'esh and other terrorist organizations, as well as undermines the political process to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. It also threatens the lives of the population and further exacerbates the humanitarian situation in the country, which could provoke further displacements.

On Thursday, 10 October 2019, the Ministry of Public Administration received representatives of the Civil Affairs Institute (Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich), a Polish non-governmental organisation.

On today’s World and European Day against the Death Penalty, Slovenia, a vocal opponent of this kind of punishment, calls for it to be abolished worldwide, and applauds Europe (with the exception of Belarus) as first continent to have done so.

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, Slovenian Industry Day was held at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. At the two-day event, which was attended by representatives of 25 Slovenian firms, the Slovenian government is promoting the cooperation of Slovenian companies with CERN.

On his working visit to North Macedonia in Gevgelia, prime minister Marjan Šarec and North Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev reviewed the conditions on the North Macedonian-Greek border with respect to the challenges of illegal migration on the so-called Balkan route, and visited a migrant transit centre on the country’s south-eastern border. On the occasion, he met with six members of the Slovenian police who are participating in the joint surveillance of border crossings on Macedonian territory as part of joint measures for managing the increased flow of migrants.

On Wednesday, Slovenian foreign minister Miro Cerar in his role as keynote speaker inaugurated the Slovenian-Austrian year of neighbourhood dialogue 2019-2020 at the Festival Hall in Ljubljana.

Minister Dr Miro Cerar hosted Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stef Blok on an official visit to Slovenia today. The two ministers confirmed the excellent bilateral relations between their countries, which have been developed in both politics and business, noting with pleasure their similar views on numerous current European and global topics. Slovenian racing cyclist Primož Roglič, who is part of the Dutch team Jumbo–Visma, is yet another example of Slovenian–Dutch partnership, inspiring cycling fans both here and in the Netherlands.

Slovenia received prestigious Emerging Nation in Eno-Gastronomy award 2019 and CNN published a list of the most beautiful lesser-known European destinations, and it included Lake Bohinj.

Children’s Week began on Monday in Slovenia, under the auspices of the Slovenian Friends of Youth Association.

The prime minister Marjan Šarec hosted a visit by the Belgian prime minister and newly elected President of the European Council Charles Michel. The visit by this senior European politician is part of his preparations prior to assuming the role of President of the European Council, having previously paid visits to Berlin and Rome. Mr Michel was elected to the post on 2 July and will start work on 1 December.

Acting Director-General for EU Affairs, Ambassador Barbara Sušnik, took part in bilateral consultations in Norway today. She and her counterpart, Director General of the Department for European Affairs Niels Engelschiøn, exchanged views on topical bilateral, European and international issues.

State Secretary Dobran Božič addressed participants in the Slovenian–Jordanian Business Forum held at the Grand Hotel Union today. The Forum seeks to present opportunities for cooperation in various business areas and for networking between Slovenian and Jordanian companies. The ten-strong business delegation of the Jordan Europe Business Association is composed of representatives of companies engaged in defence, security, aviation, electrical appliances, the food industry, smart energy solutions, construction materials and equipment, the cosmetics industry and spa tourism.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued grant decisions for two projects promoting conservation of natural and cultural heritage in the Drava River basin, which fall in the scope of the Natura 2000 Management Programme. Both project budgets amount to over EUR 8.2 million; the projects will receive a contribution of EUR 6.5 million from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).

At the end of the previous week, on 5 and 6 October 2019, the "My Safety and Mobility" hackathon was held at ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana. The event brought together 48 participants who developed their ideas on the subjects listed in the public competition for the selection of the "My Safety and Mobility" concept, announced by the Ministry of Public Administration.

You are cordially invited to attend the opening of the exhibition Slovenians in the United States Today, which will take place on October 9th, 2019 at 1 p.m. in the park in front of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia.

In his introductory remarks at his hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, Janez Lenarčič, to whom European Commission President-elect Ursula von de Leyen has entrusted the crisis management portfolio, promised to dedicate all his energies and almost three decades of experience in international and European fora to help alleviate suffering and provide relief to people affected by crises, both in the EU and around the world.

The latest Report on the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy in the Period January 2014-June 2019 and the Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan to Accelerate the Spending under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy in the Period 2014-2020 were presented to Slovenian Government. The Government will submit the documents to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

At the invitation of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Warsaw Security Forum, State Secretary Dobran Božič is attending this year’s Forum, taking place on 2 and 3 October.

To mark International Day of Older Persons, the theme of which this year is “The Journey to Age Equality”, Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana hosted the 19th Festival of the Third Age, which ran until Thursday and featured ten expert panel discussions and more than 200 educational and cultural events. Around 17,000 people visited the festival over the three days.