The Diplomat
The unity of Europe in the face of the Russian aggression in Ukraine and to face global challenges, the Spanish EU Presidency and feminist foreign policy were the main topics of the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to Slovenia yesterday.
Albares went to Slovenia yesterday to participate, as guest of honor, in the sixth Conference of Ambassadors, held in Ljubljana and attended by 55 Slovenian chief ambassadors and consuls abroad to elaborate the new guidelines of the Slovenian foreign policy.
At a joint press conference with his Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon, Albares reiterated that “European unity is the best tool we have to face Vladimir Putin’s challenge” and that aid to Ukraine “will be maintained as long as necessary, until peace returns to Ukraine, which is the same as peace in Europe”.
For her part, Fajon stressed at the same press conference that the two had discussed during their meeting bilateral relations and “feminist foreign policy, which Spain is implementing as a foreign policy concept.” “I am particularly pleased that Slovenia, like Spain, puts solidarity, multilateralism and, above all, feminist foreign policy at the forefront of foreign policy,” she continued. “Recently, we have been able to observe the suffering of many women and girls, the suppression of women’s rights in Iran and Afghanistan, and that is why it is even more important that we pay special attention and focus on these issues in foreign policy,” she added.
In this regard, Albares stated that “we do not want to help the women of Afghanistan because we think it is good to help them specifically, but because we believe that women’s rights must be guaranteed all over the world. Foreign policy should be a projection of the values of our domestic policy”.
Also, Albares and Fajon spoke about strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries, aid to Ukraine, the importance of stopping Russian aggression “as soon as possible” and the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans region. “I would like to thank my colleague Minister Albares for addressing our ambassadors today at the Diplomatic Council of Slovenia; this is an exceptional opportunity because Spain assumes the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year,” the Slovenian minister stated.
Precisely, the minister informed the ambassadors gathered at the Conference about the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the European Council and assured that Spain will promote the improvement of relations between the EU and Latin America. “We believe that the pending trade agreements with Mexico, Mercosur and Chile can be closed. They are advantageous agreements for the citizens on both sides of the Atlantic”, he added.
After his meeting with Tanja Fajon and before returning to Madrid, Albares was received by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar; the Prime Minister, Robert Golob; and the President of the Parliament, Urska Klakocar Zupancic.
