Minister Fajon in London: Slovenia strengthens cooperation with the United Kingdom

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje in evropske zadeve

During the meeting with Foreign Secretary Lammy, Minister Fajon underlined Slovenia's interest in further strengthening cooperation between the two countries. "Slovenia and the UK share the same democratic values and similar views on many international challenges, which is particularly evident in our excellent cooperation in the UN Security Council." Noting that the UK is Slovenia's tenth largest foreign investor, she expressed satisfaction with the positive trend in trade between the two countries. She highlighted science and research, digital and space technologies as areas where cooperation could be further developed.

Discussing current European and international issues, Fajon and Lammy focused on the situation in the Western Balkans, the Middle East and Ukraine. With regard to the Western Balkans, they agreed that security and stability in the region are of key importance to both countries. In this context, Fajon underlined Slovenia's strong support for the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and highlighted Slovenia's cooperation in projects in the region to strengthen cyber security, such as the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) in Podgorica, Montenegro. Both advocated a joint visit to the region. Fajon stressed that Slovenia is paying particular attention to Ukraine, where the situation is steadily deteriorating, and thanked her counterpart for organising a special debate on Ukraine during the UK Presidency of the UN Security Council. "Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, we have been working for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter. As a strong advocate of respect for international law, Slovenia is committed to achieving accountability for the crimes committed".

On the Middle East, Minister Fajon expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and regretted the failure to adopt the Security Council resolution on Gaza, which the UK supported at the suggestion of non-permanent members, including Slovenia: "An immediate ceasefire is the only way to end the cycle of violence, destruction and displacement and pave the way for peace. Slovenia calls on all actors to refrain from any actions that could aggravate the already dire situation on the ground and supports all efforts to achieve a two-state solution".

During her visit to London, Minister Fajon also met with Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations at the UK Cabinet Office. "I am pleased that the EU and the UK have recently stepped up their high-level dialogue. Slovenia supports cooperation in areas of common interest and the promotion of contacts between young people in the EU and the UK. I would like the EU and the UK to find a way to facilitate youth exchanges through programmes like Erasmus+," the Slovenian minister added.

In a meeting with Lord Collins, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Minister Fajon stressed the need for greater engagement with African countries in responding to crises and briefed Lord Collins on her recent visit to the Horn of Africa.

During her visit to London, Fajon also met with representatives of Slovenian companies and the VTIS Association. They discussed the promotion of Slovenian excellence abroad, the importance of economic diplomacy and ways to improve cooperation.

In recent years, Slovenia and the UK have strengthened their cooperation both bilaterally and within international organisations. In 2022, the two countries signed a joint statement of intent to strengthen bilateral relations, underlining their mutual interest in increased cooperation in foreign and security policy, the economy, science, education and culture. The two countries also hold regular meetings at the level of political directors and ambassadors, the next of which is scheduled for January 2025.