This year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia is participating for the first time as one of the partners of World Water Week, which is taking place from 23 to 27 August 2021 in Stockholm. At today’s High Level Panel on water diplomacy “Water Diplomacy: Navigating a Resilient Future”, Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič underlined that discussion on water in the international community requires a comprehensive, cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary, and multistakeholder approach.

Minister Anže Logar met with Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah today. Their talks centred on bilateral cooperation, the situation in Palestine and current events in the region, the European Union's cooperation with Palestine and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with the Israeli Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid in Jerusalem today. They discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, which has deepened and expanded into new areas in the last year. The high officials also touched upon the resilience and effective response of the international community to various crises. The talks also focused on current events in the region, EU-Israel relations and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Minister Anže Logar today hosted a working visit by Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria Alexander Schallenberg. The counterparts agreed that Slovenia and Austria hold a regular partnership dialogue on all bilateral, European, and international issues. The Austrian minister was accompanied by Governor of Styria Hermann Schützenhöfer.

Two weeks after deploying two firefighting teams to North Macedonia who successfully helped put out large wildfires, Slovenia today conveyed firefighting equipment to the area: firefighting backpacks, chainsaws, and fire beaters. State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Stanislav Raščan attended the dispatch at the Roje National Logistics Centre.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan received Ambassador of Mongolia Battungalag Gankhuurai on a farewell visit at the end of her term of office at the Embassy in Vienna accredited to Slovenia.

The human race against the climate crisis clock is the theme of this year’s World Humanitarian Day, which is being marked today. To save our planet from the devastating and lasting effect of climate change, this year’s humanitarian day is dedicated to raising public awareness about humanitarian workers and their efforts aimed at alleviating the effects of climate change and about the victims who lost everything as a consequence.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today attended an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers on the latest developments in Afghanistan via video conference. The focus was placed on the EU’s coordination in evacuating European citizens and local Afghan staff who supported member states and the EU during their activities in Afghanistan.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the introductory part of the first virtual European archival symposium entitled Digital Transformation in Archival Science. Dieter Schlenker, Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union, Peter Pavel Klasinc, Head of Archival Sciences Alma Mater Europea, and Bojan Cvelfar from the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia also took part in the introductory part of the meeting.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a video conference with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Carmen Moreno.

Acting as Minister for Development Cooperation, State Secretary Dr. Stanislav Raščan held a telephone conversation with Martin Jäger, the German State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

State Secretary Dr. Raščan addressed young people at the 94th International Session of the European Youth Parliament organised by the European Youth Parliament of Slovenia and taking place in Slovenia for the first time between 31 July and 8 August 2021.

State Secretary Dr. Stanislav Raščan attended on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the 105th commemoration at the Russian Chapel below the Vršič Pass.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today received Vice-President of the French National Assembly Laëtitia Saint-Paul, who is visiting Slovenia together with Sabine Thillaye, the Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan, President of the EU’s General Affairs Council, hosted an informal meeting of European Affairs ministers at Brdo pri Kranju today. At an informal discussion on strengthening the Union’s resilience, ministers supported the efforts of the Slovenian Presidency towards a more comprehensive response to crises.

The European Commission today published its second annual Rule of Law Report within the European Rule of Law Mechanism set up in 2020. The report aims to elevate the understanding of the founding values and promote the rule of law culture, thereby strengthening this principle in the European Union as a whole.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended a follow-up meeting of foreign affairs ministers of the Central 5 (C5) countries, i.e. Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Today, the Executive Board agreed to allocate more seats in the Conference Plenary to regional and local elected representatives, as well as to social partners.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended a virtual Conference of Presidents of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union. The meeting was organised by the National Assembly Committee on EU Affairs and the National Council Commission for International Relations and European Affairs, as part of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

International Criminal Justice Day is celebrated on 17 July. On that day 23 years ago, the Rome Statute, one of the core pillars of international criminal justice, was adopted.