State Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake visited Slovenia at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Karl Erjavec to attend the 13^th Bled Strategic Forum, which was held on 10-11 September 2018. The theme of this year’s Forum was “Bridging the Divide”.

State Minister Senanayake was a panellist at the panel discussion on “Alone we fail: Working together for a sustainable future”. The panel consisted of high level speakers drawn from different countries representing governments, academia, civil society and the corporate sector.

The State Minister, in his address, focused on the importance of using renewable energy sources, i.e. hydropower, wind and solar power, including bio fertilizer in agriculture as viable solutions for ensuring long term energy and food security. He also underlined the necessity to preserve the health of the natural environment and its biodiversity, as it is the primary resource on the planet. The State Minister further highlighted that protection of the marine ecosystem was also a global priority.

During the bilateral segment, State Minister Senanayake met with State Secretary Andrej Logar of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. During the discussions, he reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to further consolidate ties between the two countries, and discussed ways of advancing cooperation in the cultural, scientific, educational, trade and investment sectors. The talks also focused on promoting shared interests at multilateral fora.

On the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum, State Minister Senanayake met with former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Argentina Susanna Malcorra and discussed ways to promote shared interests within the framework of South-South Cooperation. He also provided a detailed overview of the steps being taken by the National Unity Government to strengthen democracy, promote reconciliation and ensure sustainable socio-economic development.

State Minister Senanayake also met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Macedonia Andrej Zhernovski and reviewed bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and Macedonia.

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Slovenia accredited from Austria and Embassy officials were associated with the State Minister during the visit.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

21 September 2018

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