The first bilateral economic consultations at Director-General level between Slovenia and Montenegro were held on the sidelines of the official visit by the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, to Podgorica.

On Friday, May 3rd, the Archive, the reading room and the information room will be closed due to a collective leave day.

The statement made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić after yesterday's UN Security Council debate on the report of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is unacceptable and insulting, and goes against the spirit of friendly relations between Slovenia and Serbia. The Ministry has therefore summoned the Serbian Chargé d'Affaires over this matter.

Representatives of Slovenia and Carinthia met at Brdo pri Kranju for the 7th session of the Joint Committee Slovenia – Carinthia, co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, and the Governor of Carinthia, Dr Peter Kaiser. The chairs reaffirmed the excellent relations and committed to continuing their successful cooperation.

The delegation responsible for implementing forestry policy in Montenegro started its visit to Slovenia on Monday. During its visit, the delegation met with the representatives of the Slovenian ministry responsible for forestry, the Slovenia Forest Service and the Slovenian Forestry Institute. They were shown examples of various forestry practices on the ground.

On 1 May 2004, Slovenia became a member of the European Union, along with nine other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Although there were some uncertainties before accession, from today's perspective we can see that membership has helped our country on the path to economic development and international recognition, and has opened up many new opportunities for people to study, work and do business in other Member States.

Today, Minister Han met with the Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), João Negrão. They discussed the cooperation of the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office with the EUIPO and the preparation of the EUIPO Strategic Plan 2030.

Prime Minister Robert Golob has today convened a meeting with representatives of the trade unions, employers and the Government who participate in the Economic and Social Council (ESC).

The consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tehran is once again fully operational.

Following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs met with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States at the High-Level Forum. In her address, Minister Fajon stressed the importance of security in the Persian Gulf and advocated joint strategic cooperation between the EU and the GCC Member States.

Prime Minister Robert Golob marked World Earth Day by attending and speaking at the inauguration of the Mrzlek water pipeline and gave a speech. The new pipeline will provide clean water to approximately 1,100 people and increase the security of the water supply. The project was co-funded by the Government.

At the regular monthly meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon made a strong plea for continued support for Ukraine and for European diplomats to do more to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.

Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec attended an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg in the format of a joint session gathering foreign and defence ministers. The topic of the meeting was the acceleration and reinforcement of military assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of its preparedness and resilience.

The visit of Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon to China concluded with a round table discussion in Beijing, jointly organised by the Bled Strategic Forum and the Chinese think tank, Center for China & Globalization. During the discussion, the participants agreed that effective multilateralism and respect for international law are key to successfully tackling the challenges posed by climate change.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien hosted the fourth Strategic Dialogue between the two countries in Ljubljana. Established in 2020, the Slovenian-US Strategic Dialogue provides a framework for strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on all topical issues facing the international community.

Prime Minister, Dr. Robert Golob, today met with the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. They talked about the new EU industrial policy and efforts to increase productivity, competitiveness and economic growth, as well as the future of the EU internal market. After April last year, this is Commissioner Breton's second visit to Slovenia in the last year.

The third phase of the Third periodic safety review of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) has begun, and it includes the implementation of plan for changes and improvements in the next five years after the Periodic safety review was approved. The aim is transparent notification to the public and therefore, the summary report was prepared in Slovenian.

Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon opened the Slovenia–China Business Forum in Shanghai. Accompanied by a 71-member business delegation, she continues her search for opportunities in the Chinese market. More than 100 Chinese companies took part in the Forum. Minister Fajon also met with Mayor of Shanghai Gong Zeng and opened the exhibition 'Plečnik's Ljubljana'.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended a special European Council meeting in Brussels. EU leaders discussed the current situation in the international community, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, relations with Turkey, the competitiveness of the European economy, the future of the EU internal market and the Capital Markets Union.

Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon concludes the political part of her visit to China after meeting with Vice Minister and Deputy China International Trade Representative Ling Ji. She is accompanied by a large economic delegation, so the final leg of her Asia tour will focus on economic diplomacy.