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Minister Fajon at the OSCE Ministerial Council

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the 29th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Łódź, Poland, where foreign ministers discussed the war in Ukraine and the current situation within the OSCE.

In her speech to the plenary session, Minister Fajon condemned the war in Ukraine and the breaches of OSCE commitments and principles. She reaffirmed Slovenia’s commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in dealing with the consequences of the Russian aggression, and also on its path of integration into the European Union. At the same time, she recalled that the OSCE, with its comprehensive approach to security, field missions and autonomous institutions, continues to make a valuable contribution to reducing risks and promoting transparency and trust. The Minister also called for respect for the 1975 Helsinki Accords. "We must not allow anyone to obstruct the activities of OSCE. To this end, we must ensure sufficient resources for the organisation to fulfil its mandate. Slovenia – which marks 30 years of OSCE membership this year – remains committed to dialogue and confidence-building for a secure future”, the Minister affirmed.

Minister Fajon also attended a side event on joint actions for ending Russia’s impunity and delivering justice for victims. She emphasised the importance of all international activities so far to condemn the Russian aggression, and particularly commended the response of the International Criminal Court. "Slovenia will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine. Furthermore, we will intervene in Ukraine's case against Russia before the International Court of Justice in The Hague with respect to violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide", she added. She also called for enhanced cooperation and coordination between countries and outlined the work under way to adopt a new convention on mutual legal assistance and cooperation between countries, which will be a significant step in the fight against impunity.

On the sidelines of the Ministerial Council, Minister Fajon met with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro. She reaffirmed Slovenia's commitment to media freedom and expressed strong support for the mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Minister Fajon also held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to strengthen cooperation and dialogue with these countries, both bilaterally and within international organisations. She also took note of the situation in Central Asia and Nagorno-Karabakh and the impact of the war in Ukraine on these countries.