Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is attending the Berlin Process’s ministerial session in Poznań, which focuses on the regional cooperation of the Western Balkan countries in security, economic cooperation and transport connectivity, while encouraging youth and enhancing civil society.

The 19th Meeting of authorised representatives for the distribution of diplomatic and consular properties of the former SFRY in compliance with Annex B to the Agreement on Succession Issues continued on Tuesday and Wednesday in Belgrade. Slovenia was represented by Ambassador Damjan Bergant, Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar is paying an official one-day visit to Paris today, where he will meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría, with whom he will discuss the challenges of modern-day societies, which are driven by digital transformation, climate change, artificial intelligence, education, ageing of the population and the impact on the labour market.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the new French–Slovenian Strategic Partnership Action Plan for 2019–2022 in Paris today. Minister Cerar is paying a working visit to France at the invitation of his French counterpart.

State Secretary Simona Leskovar participated in a ministerial meeting of the Ukraine Reform Conference, hosted by the Canadian and Ukrainian governments. She commended the progress achieved by Ukraine and called for further efforts in implementing necessary reforms, desired and indeed demanded by the Ukrainian people, and assured Slovenia’s support to this end.

Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden attach the utmost importance to the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), signed by Iran and unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council, as a key instrument for the non-proliferation regime and a major contribution to stability in the region.

Minister Dr Cerar today met with Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden, who is paying an official visit to Slovenia between the 25 and the 27 of June at the invitation of Dejan Židan, the President of the Slovenian National Assembly. In their talks, the two high officials reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relations and expressed their mutual determination to further strengthen cooperation in various fields of common interest, both within the EU and other international forums.

Dobran Božič, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concluded his three-day visit to Israel today, accompanied by a Slovenian business delegation of seventeen representatives from thirteen hi-tech start-up companies.

Bled today hosted the 15th plenary session of the Intergovernmental Slovenian-Russian Commission on Trade and Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, headed by Slovenian Foreign Minister Dr Miroslav Cerar and Russian Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Konstantin Noskov.

State Secretary Dobran Božič today hosted Thomas Antoine, Secretary-General of the Benelux Union. The Secretary-General’s visit falls into the framework of enhanced cooperation between Slovenia and Benelux, which was kicked off in 2017 at prime minister level and was consolidated by the summit of the four prime ministers in Ljubljana in February 2018. Secretary-General Antoine was also received for a courtesy call by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miroslav Cerar.

The second event of the “Young Women Ambassadors” project organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took place today in Ljubljana. Female students gained insight into the work of the police and the Ministry of the Interior, with a special focus on border protection measures, migration control and international cooperation. They also became acquainted with the educational system in Slovenia and the opportunities available to them in their future education and careers.

Minister Cerar is participating in the ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative (CEI) being held in Trieste. Uniting 17 countries, the CEI is the oldest and largest intergovernmental forum for regional cooperation and consultation, furthering political, economic and cultural ties between Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European countries.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (ECHR) today convened an oral hearing on the admissibility of the inter-state application filed by Slovenia against Croatia relating to the Ljubljanska Banka (LB) claims towards Croatian companies. This was the first opportunity for Slovenia to present its arguments and evidence concerning violations committed to the detriment of LB in 48 proceedings before Croatian courts.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar and the President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regional Government, Massimiliano Fedriga, opened the new premises of the Consulate-General of the Republic of Slovenia in Trieste. Just before the evening reception marking Republic Day in Italy, the Minister held separate meetings with the Slovenian minority and FVG President Fedriga.

We, the Foreign Ministers of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Poland and the Slovak Republic reiterate our continued support for the Western Balkans on their European path. The EU enlargement process has a positive transformative power in the Western Balkans and is an investment in peace and stability in Europe. It is essential to ensure the overall progress of the region. The EU needs to fulfil its unambiguous commitment to the Western Balkans European integration. There is no “plan B”.

David Brozina, Director-General for EU Affairs, and Slovenian Ambassador to Greece Anita Pipan attended the official opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Thessaloniki. This is the first Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in Greece, with jurisdiction over the entire north of Greece. Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek city and a major port, is the economic centre of this rapidly developing region.

Political consultations between the foreign ministries of Slovenia and Switzerland at the level of directors general for European affairs took place today at Brdo pri Kranju. David Brozina and Pietro Piffaretti devoted special attention to bilateral cooperation, economic and regional cooperation, EU issues, with special focus on EU–Switzerland relations, and topical international issues.

The first day of the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum, held under the aegis of the Prime Minister at Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, focused on connectivity along four key dimensions of the initiative: energy, transport, digitisation, and innovation. At the presidential panel, chaired by Slovenian President Borut Pahor, presidents of participating countries discussed geopolitical and transition challenges in the area of the EU spanning the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar today met Ivan Brajović, President of the Parliament of Montenegro, who is paying an official visit to Slovenia. The constructive talks focused on bilateral relations, enhanced cooperation within NATO, EU enlargement, and Montenegro's progress on its path towards the EU, as well as regional cooperation and the situation in the region.