Three months after Janez Janša nominated Pedro Opeka and his humanitarian organisation Akamasoa, which operates in the suburbs of Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, for the Nobel Peace Prize for 20201, the Slovenian Prime Minister now also officially met with the long-term Slovenian missionary who works in Madagascar.
As Janez Janša announced on Twitter, on Thursday, during his working visit to France, where he met with the French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, he also had a “heartfelt meeting” with the Slovenian benefactor Pedro Opeka. They talked about the “necessary assistance for his humanitarian projects in Madagascar, in which the wife of the President of France also helps.”
“Global peace project in the fight against poverty”
At the end of January, Slovenian Prime Minister wrote the following in the explanation of his nomination: “The contribution of Pedro Opeka and the entire Akamasoa association to the development of society and humanitarianism is comprehensive, and Pedro Opeka’s activities embody the goals of the United Nations. His efforts have become a global peace project in the fight against poverty, marginalisation and injustices, with the intention of enabling the poor people around the world to live a life worthy of a human being.”
Janša and President Macron spoke about the Presidency of the Council of the EU
In their conversation on Thursday, Janez Janša and Emmanuel Macron also touched on the successive presidencies of the Council of the EU of Slovenia and France, the tackling of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the upgrading of political and economic cooperation between the two countries, the situation in the Western Balkans, and other current foreign policy issues.
“The visit is a confirmation of good relations between the two countries”
“The visit is a confirmation of good relations between the two countries. We work together in many different areas, from the economy to sport and culture, and we share the same views on the vast majority of issues within the European Union. We want more direct French investments in the Slovenian economy, which is why Slovenia is making its economic legislation more flexible and also removing bureaucratic obstacles,” Janez Janša pointed out.
