News

Minister Tanja Fajon attended the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where the discussions were again devoted to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. During the debate on the Middle East, the EU foreign ministers were joined by several ministers from the region, with whom they agreed to step up their cooperation in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking to a wide range of interlocutors at the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon stressed the urgency of an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and an early agreement on a peace plan for a two-state solution, the recognition of the state of Palestine and the provision of security for Israel.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations with Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Türkiye in Ankara. The officials welcomed the extensive political dialogue and exchanged views on current foreign policy issues.

During his visit to Podgorica, State Secretary Marko Štucin met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Filip Ivanović, Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević, and Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro Oana Cristina Popa. He held political consultations with Milisav Raspopović, State Secretary at the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Tanja Fajon hosted Dr Constantinos Kombos, Foreign Minister of Cyprus, during his official visit to Slovenia. As like-minded, Mediterranean and economically comparable countries, Slovenia and Cyprus are natural allies and members of the Union for the Mediterranean and the MED-9, an informal group of nine Mediterranean countries. The two ministers addressed the settlement of the Cyprus issue and the current situation in the Middle East and Yemen.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs proposed to the Government that Slovenia participate in the ICJ proceedings initiated by the UN General Assembly in 2022 concerning Israel's allegedly controversial activities in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which the Government approved. Minister Fajon stressed that the alleged violations in question cover a broad spectrum and have been taking place in the region for decades, going beyond the recent conflict.

The Joint Committee Slovenia - Styria, which meets once a year in plenary session, held its sixth meeting in Celje. It was co-chaired by Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and Christopher Drexler, Governor of Styria. In a joint statement, the two sides welcomed the initiative of the Slovenian minority to establish a "House of Cooperation" in Graz.

During her visit to Paris, Minister Tanja Fajon and Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, discussed strengthening cooperation between the two countries and concluded a new Strategic Partnership Action Plan. Minister Fajon stressed that Slovenia will strive to overcome differences in the UN Security Council and actively seek opportunities to promote its priorities.

On May 1, 2024, Slovenia will mark the 20th anniversary of its accession to the European Union, coinciding with the largest EU enlargement in history. In collaboration with institutions such as the National Assembly, the Office of the President of the Republic, and the representations of the European Commission and the European Parliament in Slovenia, the government has curated a comprehensive program of activities.

On 1 January 2024, Slovenia becomes a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the second time in its history. Following its successful election by an overwhelming majority of 153 votes, and after three months as an observer, Slovenia will participate in decisions to maintain international peace and security during the 2024–2025 term. It will act in an inclusive and responsible manner, committed to the principles of the UN Charter, international law and human rights.

Christmas and New Year greetings from Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs:

The traditional Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats in Brdo pri Kranju is taking place against the background of Slovenia's preparations for membership of the United Nations Security Council. The diplomats discussed current foreign policy issues, focusing on support for Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. The participants in the event, chaired by Minister Tanja Fajon, were addressed by the country's highest representatives.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon opened the 27th Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats at Brdo pri Kranju. In her address, she presented some reflections on the year that is coming to an end and spoke about the challenges ahead. She went on to express her sincere appreciation to the Slovenian diplomatic corps for its contribution to the strengthening of the Slovenian diplomatic service and Slovenia's role in the changed geopolitical reality.

Ambassador Tadej Rupel, National Coordinator for External Aspects of Digitalisation, AI and Cyber Security, represented Slovenia at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit and Ministerial Council meeting in New Delhi, India, on 12–13 December 2023.

The Slovenian delegation is attending the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, which aims to strengthen international solidarity and burden-sharing in response to the large number of refugees worldwide.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended a regular meeting of the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels, where ministers focused on the draft conclusions for the December European Council and on enlargement. He underlined that the decision to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina is key to maintaining the region's confidence in the EU.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the European Council meeting in Brussels to discuss the situation in the Middle East, Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Sahel. This was followed by the Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting with ministers from the region. In the margins, she also met the High Representative of the international community for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted on 9 December 1948, was the first international human rights treaty to define the responsibility of states to prevent and punish genocide, a crime that shocked the conscience of the world at that time. One day later, on 10 December, UN Member States adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Marko Štucin is attending the 22nd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. He took part in the General Debate and held several bilateral meetings in the margins of the session. Slovenia was elected to the Bureau of the ICC Assembly of States Parties for the 2024–2026 term.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in an audio-video conference on the humanitarian activities carried out so far in Gaza, hosted by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna. Today's conference is a follow-up on the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza held in Paris on 9 November.