The NATO Summit in Washington began yesterday with a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Golob and Tina Gaber, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, and Minister of Defence, Marjan Šarec.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations in Lisbon with the Secretary of State for European Affairs at the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, Inês Domingos. The two officials confirmed the positive and friendly bilateral relations between Slovenia and Portugal, exchanging views on further support for Ukraine, institutional reforms, EU enlargement and the situation in the Western Balkans.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon visited the Triglav Slovenian House in Sao Paulo and met with members of the Association of Slovenians in Brazil. She also attended an event organised by the Slovenian-Brazilian and Slovenian-Argentine chambers of commerce. As a guest of the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), she gave a lecture on the geostrategic situation in the world and Slovenia's foreign policy.

Minister Tanja Fajon began her official visit to Brazil, where she met with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. This is the second official visit at Foreign Minister level since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992. During their talks, Fajon and Vieira confirmed the excellent relations and cooperation between Slovenia and Brazil. The two countries signed an air transport agreement and a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation.

The new biennial Economic Survey of Slovenia, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was presented today at Brdo pri Kranju. The Survey analyses key areas for Slovenia and makes recommendations for the further development and progress of our country.

As part of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, the Ministry is hosting an exhibition entitled Influential Slovenian Women without Make-up, curated by young photographer Jernej Jelen and opened today by Minister Tanja Fajon. To mark the day, a roundtable discussion brought together Slovenian and foreign women diplomats to present their lifestyles, their strengths and weaknesses, and the challenges they face.

In June, when the Republic of Korea held the presidency of the Security Council, Slovenia completed the first quarter of its current term on the UN Security Council. The month was marked by the adoption of a resolution backing the proposal for a lasting peace in Gaza.

The 17th Dubrovnik Forum is drawing to a close with the participation of Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. This year's Forum, under the theme "Dire Straits and Safe Passages", focuses on the growing global economic and security challenges and provides a platform for much-needed dialogue and the search for solutions.

Dr Slobodan Šešum, Director General for Economic and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, attended the OECD High-Level Conference on South East Europe in Paris.

At the Intergovernmental Conference with Montenegro, participants discussed the state of play of the accession process and confirmed the steps Montenegro needs to take to close key chapters on the rule of law. The Conference recognises Montenegro's track record in this area and provides an impetus for further reforms with a focus on closing the negotiating chapters.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon hosted Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno L. P. Marsudi during her return visit to Slovenia. The ministers focused the discussions on the strengthening of bilateral relations, including the planned political consultations, and the current international issues with an emphasis on the Middle East and the cooperation between the EU and ASEAN.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the regular meeting of the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, which focused on preparations for the June European Council meeting. Council members discussed draft conclusions and outstanding issues related to Ukraine, security and defence, competitiveness, external relations and the new institutional cycle.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the quadrilateral meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. They exchanged views on current European and international issues.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. The discussion focused on the worrying situation in the Middle East and Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Together with the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Western Balkans, they discussed common challenges in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and EU enlargement.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended bilateral consultations in Vienna. He met with Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution, and Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

At the invitation of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Minister Tanja Fajon attended the Europa-Forum Wachau, a platform for discussion on European integration, with this year's edition focusing on the Western Balkans. The event also included a meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans group.

Secretary-General Renata Cvelbar Bek and Ambassador Alenka Suhadolnik opened the Slovenian Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. The Secretary-General also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung.

In Vienna, State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in the meeting of Danube Foreign Ministers organised in the framework of the 13th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. He also attended a joint dinner with the “Friends of the Western Balkans” group, where participants discussed EU enlargement at a time of high security risks.

The Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development held the final meeting of the peer review on development cooperation and humanitarian aid in the Republic of Slovenia. The examiners from Denmark and Switzerland, on behalf of the Development Assistance Committee, presented the report and recommendations to Slovenia to improve the effectiveness of its development and humanitarian aid.

Today, the world observes the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict to honour the victims and stand in solidarity with the survivors of this horrific human rights violation and abuse. The United Nations General Assembly chose this day to commemorate the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008), which condemns the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peacebuilding.