WEBVTT

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Esteemed guests.

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Dear CEO of Sandoz,
dear Richard,

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dear CEO of Lek, dear Robert,

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and everyone else.

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I am very glad to be
in Lendava and Prekmurje today.

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I am not here
for political reasons,

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but on the contrary. I am here
to celebrate this important step

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for Lendava,
Prekmurje and Slovenia.

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This did not
happen coincidentally.

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We talked about this
about a year ago.

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In December,
we held the first talks,

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and in March, we signed
the memorandum with Sandoz.

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They were deciding
where in Europe

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to build
their development centre.

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They chose Slovenia.
I am glad and proud

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that we already
laid the foundation.

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We were optimistically
talking about this speed,

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but we were not sure we
would manage. This speed proves

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something we often forget
or are not proud of enough.

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Slovenia is
a very attractive environment

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for foreign high technology
investments. I will say it again.

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Foreign high technology investments.
We are attractive

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because we have
a pretty good infrastructure,

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a pretty good environment
for development

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for people who want to settle down
here, and because we have people

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with knowledge the whole Europe
envies us. These reasons

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are why we are laying
the foundation here.

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The Government helped a little,
we gave them funds.

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We can pay up to 19%
of the investment.

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We are committed
to support the knowledge.

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This investment
is a consequence

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of Lek's excellent cooperation
with the scientific environment,

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in this case with the Maribor
and Ljubljana universities.

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Lek's cooperation
with scientists

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is the reason why we
can talk about an important fact

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that we do not know
well enough.

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Many of you think that Germany is 
our biggest economy partner.

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But it is not.
It's Switzerland. By a large margin.

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Trade with Switzerland is worth 
€11 bn in comparison to Germany's €8 bn.

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A lot of you know that Austria
is the biggest investor in Slovenia.

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But with this investment Switzerland
will take the second place.

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I would like to be clear
that when there are investments

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in high technology,

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we achieve results that we couldn't
even dream about a few years ago.

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I am grateful to Sandoz
that it recognized Slovenia

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as a key point for the development.
Not only for biomedicine,

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but for its future.

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I might be exaggerating that
Sandoz's future depends on Slovenia,

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but symbiosis
between the two is great

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and I believe we can use
this symbiosis for welfare of both.

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For both sides.
Slovenia, Prekmurje and Lendava

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as well as Sandoz and global
market for medicine or biomedicine.

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And I claim again, what I have
stated at the Economy Summit.

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30 years ago we dreamt about
becoming Switzerland. We haven't yet.

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Not in most areas. Just in the area
of investing in high technology,

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in the area of biopharmacy.

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Here we are
like a little Switzerland.

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I wish this would be
an example for all the other areas.

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Not only for Slovenian regions,
but disciplines as well.

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This government shall try
to achieve it. It's not just words,

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like memorandum wasn't just a word.
We put a stone here today.

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One thing this government maintains
despite all misfortune this year,

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from higher costs to floods,

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we are keeping a promise that we
shall increase our investments

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in innovations,
science and development.

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There were investments
for 300 millions in the year 2021,

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350 millions last year
and already 410 millions this year.

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Next year there will be
more than 550 millions.

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With investments in science
and development we are enabling

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similar progress
in other areas too.

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Only science and development
can create jobs in high technology.

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We shall create knowledge that will
be recognized around the globe

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and it will bring funds
from all over the world to Slovenia.

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In the end
we shall all profit from it.

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Local areas
and the state as well.

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We shall walk this path

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no matter what befalls us.

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And it should be so.
I would like to thank the team

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that works on this project
from the start and the larger team,

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which is taking charge.
I wish you all good luck,

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it will be needed,
and a lot of success.

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I thank them in the name
of Lendava, Prekmurje and Slovenia.

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Thank you very much.