News

It has been 20 years since the entry into force of the Agreement on Succession Issues, the first binding international legal instrument confirming the break-up of the former SFRY and the emergence of five sovereign and equal successor states on its territory. On this occasion, Minister Tanja Fajon reiterated her call to the successor states "to find the political will and wisdom to resolve the outstanding issues for the benefit of all our citizens."

May, when Mozambique held the presidency of the UN Security Council, was another month dominated by the situation in Gaza. The war in Sudan and the catastrophic humanitarian situation there, especially in Darfur, also came increasingly to the fore.

In Ulaanbaatar, State Secretary Sanja Štiglic held political consultations with the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, Ankhbayar Nyamdorj. They agreed that the bilateral dialogue was dynamic and could be further strengthened through high-level political visits.

Minister Tanja Fajon attended an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Prague to prepare for the Washington Summit in July. In her intervention, Minister Fajon stressed that "Slovenia's actions are underpinned by the values of democracy, international law and solidarity. As a responsible member of the Security Council, Slovenia is doing its utmost to contribute to peace and security in the world."

According to media reports, ministers from the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Council of Ministers, meeting in Sarajevo on Tuesday, rejected requests from Slovenia and several other EU member states to hold polls for the European elections in their embassies. So far, Slovenia has not received any official notification of a refusal to allow elections to be held at the Slovenian diplomatic and consular representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From 28 May to 1 June 2024, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is hosting a group of ten young American opinion leaders and prominent voices from politics, business, think tanks and NGOs as part of the EU-US Emerging Leaders Visitors Programme, a pilot exchange programme under the auspices of the European Commission.

At the regular monthly meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, ministers, including Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, stressed the need to comply with the decisions of the relevant international courts and agreed that the EU should play a more active role in the process of strengthening the Palestinian Authority. Fajon said that the Slovenian government was working to recognise Palestine as soon as possible.

On the margins of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended an international conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region. She welcomed UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen's efforts to make progress on the resolution of the conflict in Syria and announced new humanitarian aid from Slovenia.

Slobodan Šešum, Director-General for Economic and Public Diplomacy, explained to business representatives from the Ljubljana, Brezovica, Dobrova - Polhov Gradec, Horjul, Ig, Škofljica and Velike Lašče municipalities how economic diplomacy can help businesses penetrate foreign markets.

Rok Tomšič, Head of the Department for Bilateral Economic Cooperation II at the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, attended the 18th Meeting of National Coordinators of Central and Eastern European Countries and China (the so-called 14+1 Initiative), hosted by China in Ningbo on 23-25 May.

The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Slovenia co-sponsored the resolution based on the international principles of recognition, remembrance and respect for the victims and survivors of genocide.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon opened the 13th Africa Day International Conference dedicated to celebrating the international Africa Day and fostering the friendship between Slovenia and African countries, as well as between Europe and Africa. This year's event is focused on a fair green transition and on effectively tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time – the triple planetary crisis.

On Slovenian Diplomacy Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon thanked the diplomats and Ministry staff for their contributions to enhancing Slovenia's visibility, prestige and strength on the global stage. The Ministry also marked the day with a special event in honour of Jožefa Puhar, the highly esteemed first female ambassador to the then Republic of Macedonia.

The main international event to mark the 7th World Bee Day this year - the international forum “Bees for People, Planet and Peace” took place in Ljubljana, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The opening part of the international forum “Bees for People, Planet and Peace” was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Ervin Kosi.

On World Bee Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon and Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu inaugurated an urban beehive in the garden of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs at a special ceremony and opened the international forum "Bees for People, Planet and Peace".

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations in Riga, where he and Andris Pelšs, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, confirmed the good and friendly bilateral relations between Slovenia and Latvia.

In Strasbourg, Minister Tanja Fajon attended the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which focused on Ukraine, reviewed progress in implementing the decisions of the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government and adopted the first international instrument on artificial intelligence and human rights. She also represented Slovenia at the Commemorative Ceremony of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

This year, the theme of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is “No one left behind: Equality, freedom and justice for all”, which highlights the need for equality and respect for all people, regardless of their circumstances. As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its decision on the applications of three Slovenian fishermen against the Republic of Croatia. Slovenia intervened in the case to ensure legal aid for its citizens.

State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in the UN Security Council debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina, during which the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, presented the latest report on the situation in the country. In his intervention, the State Secretary underlined the importance of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and reiterated that the country’s future lies in the EU.