Press remarks by President António Costa following the joint press point with Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob 20:05 Press remarks by President António Costa following[...]

Thank you, Prime Minister Robert Golob, for your warm welcome here in Slovenia in the framework of my visit to various European capitals.

These visits are of great importance. First, because we need to bring the European institutions closer to European citizens. Second, because we must engage with the different leaders, as the European Union is a union of nations, and we need to consider the national positions of every country. And finally, because it is is very important to try to build unity among the 27 member states.

We had very good exchanges. I took note of the clear priorities of Slovenia for the coming year within the European Union.

First of all, to boost competitiveness; and second, to increase our resilience across various dimensions - fighting climate change, ensuring the security of our citizens, and of course, increasing our defence capabilities.

Slovenia is a relevant and active player on the international level. It is also championing for European enlargement, not only to the Western Balkans, but also to Ukraine and to Moldova.

Slovenia is also the president of the MED-9. It is a current member of the United Nations Security Council. And it plays a leading position to stand for the defence of the people of Gaza. It continues to call for an end to the war, to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the Palestinian people, and to ensure that we can effectively build a two-state solution - the only political solution that can guarantee a lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Dear Robert, thank you very much for our exchange. It has been very useful in preparing for the coming months, and we can certainly count on Slovenia, as always, to strengthen our European Union.

Thank you, Robert.