News

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the two-day Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, which coincided with the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding document in 1949, and she also officially welcomed Finland as NATO's 31st member.

The 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council adopted two important initiatives in which Slovenia is participating. The key UN body responsible for human rights approved the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues and confirmed that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment represents a link between the environment and human rights.

On 4 April, the Alliance marks its 74th anniversary. On 29 March 2004, the Republic of Slovenia becomes part of the Alliance with the overwhelming support of its citizens.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar held consultations with Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia Jenelly Matundu in Namibia from 3 to 4 April 2023. Their discussion focused on enhancing political dialogue and exchanging views on the situation and challenges in the region, with an emphasis on the work of international organisations.

Acting Director-General of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Edvin Skrt participated in the meeting of EU Directors-General for development cooperation, which took place within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in an online “talk show” event "Media Freedom as a Cornerstone of Democracy". Held in the framework of the second Summit for Democracy, the event started yesterday and featured a video message by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar.

State Secretary Marko Štucin met with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Fatmire Isaki. They were pleased to note the intensive political dialogue and the very good relations between the two countries.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted Tiago Antunes, Secretary of State for European Affairs at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their consultations focused on current European and international issues, and they also discussed bilateral cooperation.

On the final day of the UN Water Conference, Minister Fajon participated in the roundtable entitled “Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade”. She also held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is attending the United Nations Water Conference in New York. This is only the second time in 45 years that a conference has been devoted exclusively to water. “Slovenia has succeeded in getting 150 countries to support its proposal for the appointment of a UN Special Envoy for Water. This is a great success for Slovenian diplomacy”, said Minister Fajon.

On the occasion of World Water Day, Štanjel Castle played host to the Business-to-Diplomacy (B2D) event "World Water Day 2023 – Accelerating Change". Slovenian water technology companies and institutions presented themselves to the foreign diplomatic corps.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels. Ministers and state secretaries for European affairs focused on preparations for the European Council, EU-UK relations and the rule of law.

The following statement has been issued in the name of the Group of Friends for an Ambitious EU Climate Diplomacy by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden.

The first meeting of the Steering Committee of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), launched by the Republic of Slovenia together with the French Republic and Montenegro in 2022, will take place in Paris on 21–22 March.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. That is why, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we issue a call for tolerance, respect and an end to hate speech. This is the only way we can move forward as a society.

Minister Tanja Fajon attended a regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The main themes were the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and Tunisia. The event was followed by a joint meeting of foreign and defence ministers on EU assistance to Ukraine and the implementation of the Strategic Compass. The ministers also adopted conclusions on Afghanistan and EU priorities in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

With 332 million, the United States of America presents an important market with many opportunities for the Slovenian economy and tourism. It can take several years for companies to successfully penetrate the US market, and Slovenia as a country can open doors through increased promotion.

State Secretary Marko Štucin today hosted the Polish Minister for the EU, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk in Ljubljana. In addition to bilateral relations, the talks focused on topical European and international issues.

At an extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, presented the reasons for the rejection of the resolution that would classify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. She reiterated Slovenia’s strong support for Ukraine and emphasised that, instead of creating division and separation, all efforts should be directed towards ending Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Priority Area Coordinators (PAC) of the EU Strategy for the Danube region (EUSDR) met in Maribor. At the meeting, there were 12 EUSDR thematic teams from 14 countries of the region, representatives of the Danube Region Programme, the European Commission, the Danube Youth Council (DYC) and the secretariat of the EUSDR, the Danube Strategy Point. The event was organised by Slovenian EUSDR Presidency with the support of the Danube Strategy Point and the University of Maribor.