Prime Minister Robert Golob and Slovenia’s first female President, Nataša Pirc Musar agreed to act in concert on foreign policy matters, during their first joint press conference.
They pinpointed several priorities, including Slovenia’s bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council, and the situation in the Western Balkans, where Slovenia has been active via a joint initiative with Croatia called the Brdo-Brijuni Process.
For the UN Security Council bid “Slovenia has to put in a huge diplomatic effort to succeed. I’m confident that I can help in this regard and this will be one of the priority tasks that the Foreign Ministry or the government will entrust to me,” the president-elect said.
Another common priority is efforts to stabilise the situation in the Western Balkans, meaning Slovenia’s efforts to keep the countries in the region on the agenda of EU institutions, Golob added.
These efforts have been constructive, particularly in the past year, he said, adding that Slovenia will carry on pursuing this path.
“Stabilisation of the Western Balkans and swifter EU accession processes are in our country’s strategic interest and both of us will certainly do everything in our power to continue to support them,” he said.
Pirc Musar intends to continue with President Borut Pahor’s legacy of holding regular Brdo-Brijuni Process meetings.
The president’s office is largely ceremonial in Slovenia and foreign policy is among the handful of areas where presidents can be active, as shown by Pahor during his two five-year terms.
(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)
Source: euractiv.com
