News from Spring, 2025

26. 6. 2025

Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland

The Consulate General in Cleveland had a busy spring. We were honored to host Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Sajovic who visited Cleveland from April 10-12. Among his local engagements were a visit to NASA Glenn Research Center and a reception hosted at the Slovenian Museum and Archives by the Consulate General on April 11. Guests at the reception were treated to a live performance by world champion Slovenian accordionist, Marko Vatovec, along with an address from Minister Sajovic and local dignitaries in attendance.

One of the areas of focus for the Consulate General is expanding business partnerships between Slovenia and the United States. In May, fifteen Slovenian companies visited Cleveland and Akron for a week of networking and exploration. The Consulate General hosted a business conference for them on May 12, during which the American-Slovenian Club and SABA made presentations on entering the US market.

World Bee Day, initiated by Slovenia at the United Nations in 2017, is observed globally each year on May 20. This year as in years past, the Consulate General joined the Collaborative Chambers and local beekeepers in offering an annual educational event to celebrate World Bee Day and to expand awareness about the importance of bees and pollinators within our ecosystem. We hosted a Slovenian Corner at the celebration, held May 15-17 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. This year, approximately 1000 students from Cleveland area schools attended, along with interested members of the public.

In early June, Consul General Češarek had an enjoyable and fruitful visit to Michigan, one of the states within our consular jurisdiction. On June 2, she got to meet the Michigan Consular Corps at the Italian National Day celebration, hosted by the Consulate General of Italy in Detroit. Later, she paid a visit to Ambassador Yousif Ghafari, former US Ambassador to Slovenia who serves as Slovenia's Honorary Consul in Michigan. The Slovene American Club of the Detroit area hosted the Consul General for an informal meeting where she learned about the happenings of the local Slovenian community. The Consul General enjoys traveling around the consular jurisdiction to see the ways in which Slovenian culture is celebrated and promoted in the various states. She is grateful for the warm welcome she received at every stop during her Michigan visit.