Prior to today’s meeting with his Slovenian counterpart, Anže Logar, in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that Germany would support Slovenia during its Presidency of the Council of the EU. He emphasised the importance of the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and the importance of the rule of law. He also emphasised that relations between Germany and Slovenia had never been closer. Logar thanked him for his support. At the meeting, he also presented the priorities of Slovenia’s Presidency.
Slovenian diplomacy is reaching success after success and strengthening the ties it has with the strategic countries. Following the statement of the Israeli Ambassador to Slovenia, who said that the relations between Israel and Slovenia have never been closer, we now heard equally encouraging words from the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, who was visited by the Foreign Minister of Slovenia, Dr Anže Logar, in Berlin.
Prior to their talk, the foreign ministers of Slovenia and Germany emphasised the close relations between the two countries. Maas said that “they have never been closer,” which is certainly a great recognition of Slovenian diplomacy. The excellent and friendly relations between the two countries, which share the same views on important issues in the international community, were further confirmed during the talk of the two ministers.
The enlargement to the Western Balkans a priority of the EU
Prior to the meeting, Maas said that it was necessary to ensure that the interests and values of the EU would be better heard in the world. According to him, this is especially true for the Western Balkans. “As the EU, we may not always be the loudest voice in the Western Balkans, but we are by far the most important political and economic partner for all of the countries in the region. That is why we need to send a clear message to the people there. Your future is in the EU, and we want that,” he emphasised. Therefore, he said, the countries need to be given a credible European perspective in order to give the pro-European forces in the region the impetus for the necessary reforms. Enlargement to the Western Balkans is an EU geostrategic priority, Maas said. And regarding this matter, Slovenia can count on the support of Germany, he said.
Meanwhile, Logar said he was pleased that his German counterpart had assured him that his country would support Slovenia in its Presidency. He reiterated that Slovenia would hold an informal EU-Western Balkans Summit during its Presidency. There, it intends to propose the preparation of regular EU summits with the countries of the Western Balkans and the involvement of the citizens of these countries in the debate on the future of Europe. After the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that in his conversation with Maas, the Slovenian Minister also emphasised that more attention should be paid to the region from a strategic and geopolitical point of view.
At the press conference before the meeting, the German Foreign Minister also emphasised the importance of the rule of law. “The rule of law is one of the fundamental values that hold the European Union together,” he said. He is pleased that Slovenia will continue to implement the mechanism on the rule of law, which was established by Germany during its Presidency, the Slovenian Press Agency reports.
Sara Kovač
