Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the nine EU Mediterranean countries in Madrid, Spain, the first MED-9 meeting at the level of foreign ministers. The ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East and enhanced cooperation with the Southern Neighbourhood countries.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon announced that with great efforts and excellent cooperation between several parties, three Slovenian citizens have been evacuated from Gaza. She thanked her colleagues for their tireless efforts to help Slovenian citizens and announced a visit to the Middle East.

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in an informal video conference of EU foreign ministers on the situation in Israel and the wider region.

The United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution focussing on the protection of children in Gaza and the release of hostages, many of whom are children. Below is the response of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, to the adoption of the resolution.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, which focused on the situation in Israel and the region. We are witnessing a crisis of humanity and a crisis of world order. It is therefore high time for an immediate humanitarian pause to the hostilities in Gaza and the establishment of humanitarian corridors," the Minister said.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The key aim of the conference is to improve the coordination of international aid for Gaza and gather additional humanitarian funds for the affected civilian population.

On 27 October 2023, the Slovenian Government took a significant step by pledging a donation of EUR 150,000 to the World Food Programme for emergency humanitarian aid for the affected population in Gaza.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. The meeting focused on the situation in Israel and the region, as well as on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. This was followed by an EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting, which was held together with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has decided to allocate an additional EUR 500,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for emergency humanitarian aid to the people in the Gaza Strip.

Slovenia will take part in the Peace Day Effort initiative, which aims to deliver concrete actions to show Israelis and Palestinians the support they will receive once they reach a peace agreement. As a supporter of the initiative, Slovenia will participate in all three Working Groups, which will focus on security, on the economy and the environment, and on the human dimension.

Minister Tanja Fajon participated in an informal videoconference of EU foreign ministers on the situation in Israel and in the region. She expressed her solidarity with Israel and sympathy for all civilian victims.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic participated in the 27th EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial meeting held in Muscat. During the gathering, Ministers and State Secretaries discussed the importance of and opportunities for enhanced cooperation between the EU and the strategically significant Gulf countries, as well as current foreign policy issues, with a specific focus on the situation in Israel and Gaza.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with the Israeli Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid in Jerusalem today. They discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, which has deepened and expanded into new areas in the last year. The high officials also touched upon the resilience and effective response of the international community to various crises. The talks also focused on current events in the region, EU-Israel relations and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today attended an extraordinary videoconference of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell convened the meeting to discuss the escalation of tensions in Gaza, Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and the growing number of civilian casualties. The EU foreign ministers also discussed potential EU assistance in defusing tensions.

14 countries issued a joint statement expressing concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of working together toward the development and use of a swift, effective, transparent, science-based, and independent process for international evaluations of such outbreaks of unknown origin in the future. The signatories also underscore the need for a robust, comprehensive, and expert-led mechanism for expeditiously investigating outbreaks of unknown origin that is conducted with full and open collaboration among all stakeholders and in accordance with the principles of transparency, respect for privacy, and scientific and research integrity.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today spoke with his Hungarian, Slovakian, and Israeli colleagues on the phone.

During a telephone conversation today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi discussed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and the Middle East Peace Process.

Slovenia is deeply concerned about the Israeli plans to expand their settlements in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, and to develop the E1 area. If implemented, this decision would seriously damage the prospect of resolving the issue through negotiation and establishing the state of Palestine, and Jerusalem as the capital of both states.

Slovenia remains committed to the activities aimed at achieving comprehensive, just and long-lasting peace in the Middle East, including the establishment of the State of Palestine and bearing in mind Israel’s security concerns.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Andreja Purkart Martinez as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the State of Israel.