Economic diplomacy will remain one of the main priorities in the coming term, Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said at a press conference marking the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's membership of the UN. Erjavec also pointed to relations with neighbouring countries as a centrepiece of future policy.
As part of economic diplomacy, Erjavec called for even more cooperation with the Economy Ministry, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS). He also called for closer ties and a more unified approach of the Slovenian economy, proposing a single internet access point for foreign investors. Slovenia should make up its mind, whether it wants foreign investments or not, he stressed, noting that Slovenians always talk of how open they are to foreigners, but when actual investments come, there are always doubts. According to Erjavec, the priorities and goals of Slovenia's foreign policy are to be defined further by the Strategic Council for Foreign Policy, a newly established government advisory body that includes all of Slovenia's former foreign ministers. At the press conference, which was organised as a first-off consultation with the media, he also called for a modernisation of Slovenia's foreign policy legislation. The minister also spoke about the visits to a all the neighbouring countries he had made in the beginning of his term and the open issues with individual countries, and touched on the government cost-cutting measures, which will result in the closure of some of Slovenia's diplomatic offices abroad. He did not wish to reveal which offices would be scrapped, but said that the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee would debate this on 29 May and that at least EUR 2m would be saved with the closures as of next year. However, this "does not mean that new ones cannot open" where the country sees its interests, he added. Commenting on global issues, Erjavec said that a new government in Greece which would fail to respect the commitments of its predecessors could lead to the worst-case scenario, "which will not be good for anyone". Asked why he chose not to meet the Dalai Lama, who is currently visiting Maribor, Erjavec said the Dalai Lama was a spiritual and no longer political leader. However, it is also a fact that a reception for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have a bad impact on Slovenia's relations with China. The Foreign Ministry will celebrate the 20th anniversary of UN membership on 22 May, Slovenian Diplomacy Day, with an open-doors day and a presentation of a book on the United Nations. President Danilo Türk will meanwhile address a symposium marking the anniversary in Ljubljana on Friday.
Source: Euronews
