Jan 9: 9th round of India-Slovenia Foreign Office Consultations. The 9th India-Slovenia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held on 06 January 2023 in Ljubljana. Shri Sanjay Verma led the Indian delegation, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Slovenian side was led by Mr Samuel Žbogar, State Secretary for Political and Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. The last FOC in physical format was held in July 2010.
India and Slovenia celebrated 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022. The two countries share a robust bilateral relationship marked by regular exchanges at both political and official levels. Trade and economic activities between India and Slovenia are fast regaining pre-Covid levels. The FOC provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the bilateral ties in the last year despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-pandemic. Both sides discussed the way forward in crucial sectors such as Agriculture, Health, S&T, Defense, Space, Migration and Mobility, Climate innovation and Renewable energy.
India and Slovenia also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including – Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, the European Union, the United Nations, climate action, India’s G20 Presidency and the International Year of Millet 2023. The re-launch of FTA negotiations and the Connectivity partnership between India and the EU were acknowledged as key drivers for furthering economic relations at bilateral and India-EU levels.
5. During the visit, Secretary (West) called on H.E. Mr Predrag Baković, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and H.E. Ms Suzana Lep Simenko, Chairperson of Friendship Group of Slovenian Parliamentarians on India. He also met the other members of the Friendship Group, members of the Indian Community and eminent members of the Slovenian community from the culture and education fields. On 05 January 2023, he also held a business meeting with the members of Slovenia’s business community. The two sides looked forward to holding the next FOC in 2024 in India.
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