Prime Minister's statement: "Finally some good news from New York. The UN Security Council has agreed on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Slovenia, together with the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, played a key role in proposing the resolution.

Today, the UN Security Council convened a briefing on food insecurity in Gaza, requested by Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana and Switzerland. The meeting followed a white note of 22 February, sent by OCHA to Council members on food security risks in Gaza.

Slovenia presented its intervention at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the context of the request for advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, initiated by the UN General Assembly in December 2022. Slovenia’s main arguments are the right of Palestinians to self-determination and the obligations of Israel as an occupying force.

Today, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia sent material aid intended for Gaza to Jordan from Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport. “This is Slovenia's first direct aid to the people of Gaza,” said Prime Minister Golob.

At today's regular session, the Slovenian Government adopted a decision on a financial contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the amount of EUR 500,000.

Minister Tanja Fajon attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and the Sahel. In the debate on the Middle East, ministers discussed the situation in Gaza, the EU's response to the announcement of the Israeli offensive on Rafah and the question of a political solution, and confirmed the establishment of the Eunavfor Aspides maritime security operation in the Red Sea.

On the sidelines of the 60th Munich Security Conference, Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with Abdullah II of Jordan.

Prime Minister Robert Golob is attending the 60th Munich Security Conference today and tomorrow. Today he met with the Vice-President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.

EU development ministers held an informal meeting in Brussels under the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council to discuss EU development cooperation for the coming years, human rights mainstreaming and the situation in Gaza. Edvin Skrt, Director-General for development cooperation, attended the meeting.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon received her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry for an official visit. The two officials spent a great deal of time discussing the current situation in the world, with a focus on the Middle East. The Slovenian-Egyptian Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation examined the possibilities for further strengthening cooperation.

In Brussels, Minister Fajon took part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers hosted by Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib under the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. The meeting was chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and focused on the EU's relations with Africa and Türkiye, as well as on further assistance to Ukraine and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Today, the UN Security Council convened an open briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The meeting followed the 26 January order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case of South Africa against Israel, indicating provisional measures. Slovenia voiced its clear and strong support to the ICJ’s work and underlined that UNRWA is playing an indispensable role in the midst of the current crisis.

Slovenia welcomes today's order delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case of South Africa against Israel, indicating provisional measures, including that Israel must take effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and prevent genocide in Gaza.

For the first time since Slovenia became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the ministerial meeting of the UNSC in New York on the situation in the Middle East. In her address, she called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and in the region, outlining the reasons why it is so important.

Minister Tanja Fajon attended the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where the discussions were again devoted to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. During the debate on the Middle East, the EU foreign ministers were joined by several ministers from the region, with whom they agreed to step up their cooperation in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking to a wide range of interlocutors at the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon stressed the urgency of an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and an early agreement on a peace plan for a two-state solution, the recognition of the state of Palestine and the provision of security for Israel.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs proposed to the Government that Slovenia participate in the ICJ proceedings initiated by the UN General Assembly in 2022 concerning Israel's allegedly controversial activities in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which the Government approved. Minister Fajon stressed that the alleged violations in question cover a broad spectrum and have been taking place in the region for decades, going beyond the recent conflict.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the European Council meeting in Brussels to discuss the situation in the Middle East, Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Sahel. This was followed by the Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting with ministers from the region. In the margins, she also met the High Representative of the international community for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in an audio-video conference on the humanitarian activities carried out so far in Gaza, hosted by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna. Today's conference is a follow-up on the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza held in Paris on 9 November.

Minister Tanja Fajon made her first appearance at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East in New York. On behalf of Slovenia, which will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council on 1 January 2024, she called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, a halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and urged the Security Council to step up its efforts to establish a lasting and just peace in the region.