News

The EU directors-general for humanitarian aid discussed improving coordination and increasing efforts within the working party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA). The Acting Director-General Igor Jukič outlined the achievements and progress the Slovenian Presidency has made so far on humanitarian aid.

On behalf of the Foreign Minister Anže Logar, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan today attended the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The meeting focused on EU-Western Balkans relations and the situation in the Sahel.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today attended the College of Europe conference in Bruges entitled “Discussing the Future of Europe – Perspectives and Contributions from the Western Balkans”.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated in a seminar hosted by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) on EU-Russia relations and held political consultations with Alexander Grushko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended an event on the sidelines of the COP26 conference on cooperation between the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) in the fight against climate change via audio-video conference.

The second Plenary Meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is taking place in November, once again in a virtual format due to the epidemiological situation. The Slovenian delegation to IHRA headed by Mark Rakovec is attending the meeting. Slovenia has been an IHRA member since 2011.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed the participants of a National Assembly meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia, underlining and welcoming the progress Armenia has made on its path towards European values and norms.

Jernej Müller, Political Director and Director-General for Common Foreign and Security Policy, met with Ambassador Fayiz Khouri, Director of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in Amman.

In his capacity as Minister for Development Cooperation, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan addressed the participants of the first EU-Central Asia Economic Forum in Bishkek. He stressed the importance of digital cooperation between countries and regions.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar welcomed Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, on his first official visit to Slovenia today. The talks between the two Ministers focused on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in various fields of common interest.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar is visiting Athens today, where he met with his Greek host Nikos Dendias, Minister of Foreign Affairs. They discussed strengthening bilateral, regional and European integration towards a stronger and more resilient Europe. The visit of Minister Logar to Greece in the light of Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and its recent accession to the EU Med group in September this year is of vital importance for the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia has nominated the Madagascar-based Missionary Pedro Opeka for the Raoul Wallenberg Prize of the Council of Europe for exceptional humanitarian achievements.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan and Chairwoman of the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) Gertrud Rantzen, who is ending her longstanding term of office, welcomed the high level of economic relations between Slovenia and Germany.

In his address to the Savica Symposium 2021: Slovenian-American Science Symposium, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan gave an overview of the activities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the field of research and science.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan visited Ukraine between 27 and 29 October 2021. He participated in the international conference titled “The Odesa Debate” and held several bilateral meetings on the margins of the conference. In the debate on the vision of peace and prosperity in Ukraine, he commended the progress already made, bringing Ukraine closer to European values and norms, underlining the importance of further strengthening economic and social resilience.

Director-General Jernej Müller hosted an informal meeting of political directors of EU member states in Ljubljana on 28 and 29 October.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan spoke at the third China-EU Discussion Event under the slogan “Shaping the Future of China-EU Relations”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in the second AU-EU ministerial meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting was of particular importance as it set the stage for the 6th AU-EU Summit scheduled to be held in 2022. “Slovenia as the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU fully supports our common aspiration for a stronger partnership between the African Union and the European Union. A partnership with a shared long-term vision and with strong day-to-day cooperation,” Minister Logar said in his address.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated as one of the key speakers via video conference at the plenary session of the 8th Symposium “China and countries of Central and Eastern Europe”. The focus of the hybrid seminar was to discuss how to steer the 16+1 initiative through a turbulent period of change and adaptation.

Op-Ed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Anže Logar, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas, Minister of State and for Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic Dr Augusto Santos Silva and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The United Nations was established on this day 76 years ago. The theme for this year’s General Assembly is Building Resilience through Hope – post-pandemic recovery, rebuilding sustainability, responding to the needs of the planet, respecting the rights of people, and revitalisation of the United Nations.

On Saturday 23 October, the second Conference Plenary meeting took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to discuss citizens’ contributions.

At today’s meeting of the Central 5 (C5) in Vienna, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar underlined the importance of the European Union’s swift action to help its member states in the post-pandemic recovery. “With the European Recovery and Resilience Facility, countries will be able to embark on the path towards green transformation and digital transition,” said Minister Logar.

From 18 to 21 October, Minister Anže Logar attended the European Parliament plenary session as Slovenia's high representative for the relations between the Council and the Parliament.

On 19 October, the European Commission published the Enlargement Package for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, which provides an overview and assessment of the situation across key areas of the necessary reform progress.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today attended the regular General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg as Chair. The debate focused on preparations for the October European Council, the state of the rule of law in the Union and the Conference on the Future of Europe. “Today, we discussed a number of issues that directly affect our citizens. As the country holding the Presidency, we are very pleased to have reached the conclusions on the Joint Cyber Unit. In doing so, we have taken an important step forward in ensuring greater cybersecurity and resilience for citizens," underlined State Secretary Dovžan.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a reception for Marjan Osvald, the newly elected Deputy Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, and Tomaž Kokot, General Manager Ad Interim of Pošta Slovenije.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today attended the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg headed by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In their discussions, the ministers focused on the Gulf, the Eastern Partnership and the situation in Ethiopia and Nicaragua.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan welcomed a delegation of the Uzbekistani Anti-Corruption Agency, led by Akmal Burkhanov.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held two separate working meetings with Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, and Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. Both discussions focused on the implementation of the Slovenian Presidency programme in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, as well as current challenges, including the Afghanistan crisis.

Today, Minister Dr Anže Logar addressed the students of the Diplomatic Academy with an introductory lecture. “Over the past year, Slovenian diplomacy has made major shifts in establishing Slovenia’s firm links with the environments sharing our values and interests,” he told the diplomats at home and abroad.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed the High-Level Conference on Water and Gender Equality, which aimed at exchanging good practices, opinions and ideas on how to achieve gender equality in the context of water. The conference was organised by Slovenia, the current Chair of the Council of the European Union, together with the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme and the Women for Water Partnership organisation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today hosted Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bisera Turković on a working visit to Slovenia. Their discussion focused on bilateral cooperation in various areas, particularly the economy, and on Slovenia’s support for the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In his video speech for the annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar underlined his conviction that a more effective system to respond to future crises must be included in the post-pandemic recovery plans.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, Minister of Federal, European and International Affairs of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The main topic of the talks was the strengthening of cooperation in the light of Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated via video conference in a meeting of eminent representatives of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA) on the Conference on the Future of Europe.

After four weeks, the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council drew to a close on Monday, 11 October. This meeting was one of the most demanding meetings for Slovenia in recent years, as it participated as the Chair of Council of the European Union and was in charge of several initiatives.

In his capacity as Minister for Development Cooperation and representing Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar, State Secretary Raščan represented Slovenia at a commemorative meeting marking the 60th anniversary of the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Slovenia is one of the successor states of a founding member of the NAM movement. On the sidelines of the event, he met with State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nemanja Starović.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Stanislav Raščan attended the extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council composed of the ministers of International Development Cooperation (FAC DEV). The topic of discussion was Afghanistan. State Secretary Raščan stressed that the complexity of the situation in the country requires that international partners mount a continuous and coordinated response.

At the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, resolutions on the right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment and on the rights of the elderly were adopted on the initiative of Slovenia and like-minded states.

On World and European Day against the Death Penalty, which is observed on 10 October, Slovenia calls on the countries that still practice capital punishment to abolish it entirely. Slovenia is a resolute opponent of the death penalty, which is an inhuman, cruel, degrading, and final form of punishment.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the European Parliament Plenary Session from 6 to 7 October 2021 as the high representative of the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament during the Slovenian Presidency.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated in the virtual forum for the protection of threatened Afghans hosted by High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

Minister Anže Logar attended the regular annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which adopted a new strategy paper with a vision of the OECD’s work over the next ten years and an external OECD action strategy.

Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič took part in a meeting of EU Directors-General for development cooperation via a videoconference. The participants discussed the Team Europe initiatives, the European financial architecture for development, the assistance offered to partner countries in the fight against COVID-19, the Gender Action Plan, and the current situation in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.

On the occasion of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD DAC), State Secretary Stanislav Raščan added his congratulations to those of the high-level representatives responsible for international development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on 1 October and this year, it is dedicated to digital equality for all ages, pointing to the need for accessibility and inclusion of older people in the digital world.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended the regular meeting of EU member states’ ambassadors accredited to Slovenia. He presented Slovenia’s work as Chair of the Council of the EU to date and plans for the second half of the Presidency. “Despite the uncertain epidemiological situation, Slovenia has carried out all planned events and is successfully pursuing the objectives of its priorities,” said Minister Logar.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today participated in the 8th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Skopje, dedicated to EU enlargement. “The Western Balkans is part of Europe and the challenges of the region are also those of the European Union. It is therefore vital to involve the Western Balkan region in the debates on the future of Europe," said State Secretary Dovžan in his address.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated at the opening session of the Geneva Dialogue on responsible behaviour in cyberspace along with Livia Leu, State Secretary at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and Gaurav Keerthi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. This edition of the virtual event centred around the security of digital products and its regulatory framework.