News, Notices

Today, Slovenia and the world celebrate World Bee Day. The main national celebration of World Bee Day was held in Celje as part of the 20th Beekeepers' Festival. Minister Irena Šinko addressed the numerous beekeepers and other guests, highlighting the situation in the world today and the need for food security where pollinators play a very important role.

This year, Slovenia is once again at the forefront of World Bee Day celebrations. President Pirc Musar was present at the main event at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, calling for responsible agriculture that respects and supports the vital role of pollinators in nature. Slovenia draws attention to their importance through more than 30 other projects and events around the world.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob today visited areas threatened by landslides in the municipality of Šentilj due to the recent heavy rainfall.

The President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, PhD, attended the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe under the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers in Reykjavik from 16 to 17 May 2023. Discussions focused on accountability for Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the promotion and protection of the Council of Europe's core values.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob today attended the international conference titled From Doomsday to New Optimism, where international political and economic representatives addressed the most pressing global challenges in business, finance and politic and presented their views on how to tackle them.

For his significant contribution to the deepening of relations between Slovenia and Ukraine, and for Slovenia's support and assistance to Ukraine's successful defence against Russian aggression, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia, Andriy Taran, on behalf of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, presented the Badge of Honour to the Minister of Defence, Marjan Šarec, and the Medal for Assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Damir Črnčec.

Tomorrow, the attention of all the World is going to be dedicated to honeybees and other pollinators, with an increasingly important role in seeking solutions for food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

On 22 May, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs traditionally celebrates Slovenian Diplomacy Day. The event is dedicated to the diplomats who have shaped the diplomatic service with great commitment, an occasion to remember one of our colleagues who excelled in their work. This year, we remember Ida Močivnik. A valued ambassador, she stood out for her principled stance and the highest professional and ethical standards.

On Saturday, Slovenia and all the World will for the sixth time be celebrating the World Bee Day, proclaimed on 20 December 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly. The main purpose of the World Bee Day is to raise the awareness of global general public on the significance of bees and other pollinators for the entire human race, in the light of food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the text of the proposal to initiate the procedure for amending Articles 160, 161 and 162 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and allocated an additional EUR 2.8 million for the organisation and hosting of the European Youth Olympic Festival 2023 in Maribor.

At the invitation of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Albania, Niko Peleshi, paid an official visit to Slovenia. After being received with military honours in front of the Ministry of Defence, Minister Šarec and Minister Peleshi first had a private conversation, followed by official talks between the two delegations.

The annual meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA) is held in Singapore and attended by the delegation of the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office. The delegation also attended an event organised by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, where the Directors of the Slovenian and Singaporean IP Offices exchanged good practices in the field of intellectual property.

The Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob met with Dr Simona Gerenčer, Secretary General of the Deafblind Association of Slovenia DLAN.

State Secretary Marko Štucin opened the thematic conference "Towards Knowledge-Society and Professions of the Future" in Brdo pri Kranju, held within the scope of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) lasting until October 2023.

Minister Tanja Fajon received Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Staša Košarac during his working visit to Slovenia. Their talks focused on bilateral relations.

Members of the Animal Protection Working Group, which is organised under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office, met with representatives of the Psi in Mi Institute, a centre for modern dog parenting.

This year, Slovenian Bee diplomacy is entering a new phase with projects primarily supporting social and environmental resilience. In cooperation with local partners, Slovenian diplomatic missions and consular posts will again carry out more than 30 projects around the world. The two most important celebrations will take place in Rome and New York.

This year's theme for the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, "Together always: united in diversity", reminds us that all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, are born free and are equal in dignity and rights.

Minister Tanja Fajon was in Koper today for talks with the Mayor of Koper, Aleš Bržan, and the management of the Port of Koper. The visit took place just a few days ahead of her departure for Vietnam (21–23 May) in the company of a ten-strong business delegation that includes the Port of Koper, and for Indonesia. She will also visit the Republic of Korea in June.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar hosted Pablo Anselmo Tettamanti, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic, for bilateral political consultations. Their talks focused on strengthening political and economic cooperation between the two countries.