News

Director-General of the Directorate for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič took part in the second dialogue of the Global Governance Group (3G) and the chairing G20 Troika. The hybrid event was hosted by Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s membership of the United Nations (UN) and World Bee Day in Vienna.

The 11th Africa Day International Conference, organised under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor and in the framework of the Bled Strategic Forum, focused on the opportunities for cooperation between Africa and Europe in promoting responsible innovation and responsible governance of new technologies, as well as the role technology can play in shaping creative and cultural sectors.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan is paying a working visit to Bratislava to talk about strengthening economic cooperation between Slovenia and Slovakia. He met with Lucia Kišš, Director General for Economic and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Mexican recognition of Slovenia on 22 May 1992, State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan held an audio-video conference with the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Carmen Moreno Toscano.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the regular General Affairs Council session in Brussels. The state secretaries and ministers focused on the preparations for the special meeting of the European Council scheduled for 30 and 31 May 2022. They also exchanged views on how to follow up on the proposals of the Conference on the Future of Europe and continued the Article 7(1) TEU procedure relating to the hearing held by the Council on the values of the Union in Hungary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked Slovenian Diplomacy Day, which is celebrated every year on 22 May, the anniversary of Slovenia’s admission to the United Nations.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed via video link the participants of the festivities on World Bee Day in Ghana organised by the Ghana Beekeepers Association. He stressed the vital role of bees in ensuring food security and the value of expert exchanges between Slovenia and Ghana for the protection of bees.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in its development configuration. The ministers discussed the global implications of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, with special focus on food security, on refugee issues with the guest, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, on a coordinated approach in multilateral forums and on the new financial architecture for development.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar took part at the 132nd session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe organized by Italian Presidency in Turin. At the heart of the discussion was Council of Europe's response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Russian Federation was expelled from the Council of Europe on 16th of March 2022.

Today marks the fifth World Bee Day, declared by the UN General Assembly on Slovenia’s initiative on 20 December 2017. In this European Year of Youth, World Bee Day is dedicated to the future of beekeeping and the role of young people in raising awareness of its importance.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the Adriatic and Ionian Council/EUSAIR Ministerial Meeting in Tirana, hosted by the Albanian AII Chairmanship/EUSAIR Presidency in the framework of the 7th EUSAIR Annual Forum. The Meeting was chaired by Megi Fino, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar attended the regular EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell in Brussels. The main topics were the Western Balkans and the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The EU–Canada Joint Ministerial Council meeting took place prior to the Council session.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar attended a two-day informal meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs in Berlin. The ministers discussed the current security challenges resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Igor Jukič, Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation, held regular consultations with Slovakian representatives and outlined priorities related to international organisations and development and humanitarian assistance.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan attended the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh/ISIS in his capacity as Minister of Development Cooperation. The event was hosted by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Slovenia, together with the European Union, its member states and international partners, condemns in the strongest terms the malicious activity conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine targeting the satellite KA-SAT network.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the 6th Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” organised by the EU. He announced a new humanitarian donation by Slovenia in the amount of EUR 150,000 for the civilian population of Syria. The contribution will be provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for projects ensuring access to water and sanitation.

On 9 May we celebrate Europe Day, a symbol of bridging the divisions between the European nations and of peace that our continent has established and must continue to preserve.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in a Quadrilaterale meeting between Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Slovenia in Bern at the invitation of State Secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Livia Leu.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan received the Special Representative for 16+1 Cooperation, Ambassador Huo Yuzhen.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar took part in the Raisina Dialogue 2022 conference held in New Delhi on 25–27 April, met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and held other bilateral talks.

On 26–27 April 2022, State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development in New York, which highlighted the need to deliver on the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on poverty eradication. He also attended the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Financing for Peacebuilding and held a number of bilateral meetings.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part, via audio-video conferencing, in the hybrid High-Level Roundtable on the Horn of Africa Drought. He announced Slovenia's contribution worth EUR 100,000 for emergency humanitarian aid to the affected people in the region, which will be channelled through the World Food Programme (WFP).

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan met with Minister of State for Security Policy at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Sztáray, in Budapest. They discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the current situation in Ukraine.

Today, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar presented computer keyboards to the President of the Friends of Youth Association, Darja Groznik, and to the Secretary General of Caritas Slovenia, Peter Tomažič, as a symbolic gesture ahead of the Foreign Ministry’s donation of used computer equipment. “We are making a donation to two key organisations as they know best who needs the equipment most. I’m happy that the computers will go to the right hands,” declared Minister Logar.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar attended a meeting of the Central 5 group bringing together the foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. The main topics on the agenda were the current situation in Ukraine and building EU resilience.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated in the regular General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. As part of the annual rule of law dialogue, the General Affairs Council reviewed the situation with regard to the rule of law in five member states and discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar attended the regular EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The main topics on the agenda were the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Global Gateway strategy.

Today marks the beginning of the 12th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) focusing on the contribution of older persons to sustainable development and economic security. Slovenia, as a staunch advocate for regulating the rights of older persons through international law, is represented by State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar telephoned Carlos Alberto Franco França, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Minister Logar recalled the 30th anniversary of Brazil's recognition of Slovenia and of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will be marked this year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the vote of the UN General Assembly to suspend the Russian Federation’s rights of membership in the Human Rights Council.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan met with the Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, Faisal Al-Ibrahim. In the focus of their talks was a mutual interest in strengthening cooperation between Slovenia and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the economy.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan today attended a virtual high-level meeting on food and nutrition crises in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions. He announced Slovenia’s humanitarian contribution worth EUR 50,000 in 2022, which will be channelled through the World Food Programme (WFP) to meet the most urgent needs in the central Sahel.

Igor Jukič, Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation, took part in a meeting of EU directors-general for development cooperation. The discussion focused on the situation in Ukraine, ways to improve cooperation with partner countries in a changing geopolitical context, the Team Europe initiatives, the European Financial Architecture for Development, and global health.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan spoke at a round table discussion organised by the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visiting students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. He outlined the Foreign Policy Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in December 2021, and stressed the importance of multilateralism for global peace and security.

In view of the ongoing Russian military violence against Ukraine, the serious violations of international law and the killings of innocent Ukrainian civilians revealed by comparing satellite and other imagery after the liberation from the Russian aggressors, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Slovenian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Branko Rakovec, for a consultation.

Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia summoned the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Timur Eyvazov, to express dismay and the harshest protest at the clear evidence that the armed forces of the Russian Federation committed war crimes against the civilian population in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Together with partners, allies and the International Criminal Court, Slovenia will do its utmost to hold the perpetrators accountable for these horrific crimes.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan participated in the Moldova Support Conference in Berlin convened by the foreign ministries of Germany, France and Romania and attended by the Moldovan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Dr Raščan reaffirmed Slovenia's support for Moldova’s European perspective and outlined Slovenia’s envisaged aid measures.

In the framework of trilateral cooperation in the North Adriatic Sea, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar met for the third time with foreign ministers of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman and of Italy Luigi di Maio in Zaprešić, Croatia. The ministers took stock of the cooperation in the fields of connectivity, the blue economy and environmental protection, and reviewed concrete proposals for further cooperation.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan met with Märt Volmer, Undersecretary for Europe in the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Tallinn, where he also took part in the conference "Small States in the UN Security Council: Working for Peace to Overcome the Scourge of War”.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the High-level Pledging Event on Supporting the Humanitarian Response in Afghanistan. In his intervention, he announced that Slovenia would contribute another EUR 50,000 through the United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA for addressing the most urgent humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.

Boštjan Lesjak has safely arrived in Kyiv to start serving as Slovenia’s chargé d'affaires ad interim to Ukraine. Upon arrival, he said that the city was empty with audible alarms and detonations in the distance, but that day-to-day life was running normally for those who remained in the capital. As of 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, the Slovenian Embassy will thus be open again.

Due to numerous false claims made over the past few days by media outlets and subsequently by individual political parties about the decision to send a chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Republic of Slovenia to Kyiv, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to communicate its response to the most frequently highlighted false statements. It should be noted that the claims relating to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the procedure of appointment of a chargé d’affaires have not been previously verified with the lead authority.

At Expo 2020, participants in the round table convened on World Water Day by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and Spirit Slovenija discussed groundwater in relation to climate change. Rok Tomšič, Head of the Department for Bilateral Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underlined the important role of economic diplomacy in facilitating the entry of Slovenian companies into new markets.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, with state secretaries and ministers for European affairs focusing on the preparations for the European Council on 24–25 March 2022.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended a regular Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels chaired by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The main topics on the agenda were the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and the situation in Mali and the Sahel. EU foreign affairs and defence ministers sitting in a joint session approved the Strategic Compass.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended a ministerial meeting in the framework of the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels on strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law.

In 2022, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination focuses on the theme “Voices for action against racism”, highlighting the importance of safe public participation, of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and of protecting civic space to stand up against racial discrimination. The elimination of all forms of discrimination is one of Slovenia’s foreign policy priorities in the sphere of human rights.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ramtane Lamamra, Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab, CEO of the state-owned Sonatech company Toufik Hakkar, and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers. The purpose of the working visit was to strengthen political and economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in provision of energy products.