News roundup - Tuesday, 20 February, until 3pm

Foreign Ministry summons Russian ambassador

BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - After the Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Timur Eyvazov for talks over the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Monday evening, the meeting with him took place on Tuesday morning. FM Tanja Fajon said today that the ministry did that to express concern and outrage over Navalny's death, and that Slovenia called on Russia to allow an international and independent investigation into the circumstances of his death. State Secretary Marko Štucin said that Slovenia was likely to support additional sanctions against Russia as talks are ongoing on potential measures at EU level in response to Navalny's death.

Fajon and Safadi call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a press conference during Safadi's visit to Slovenia. The pair expressed support for a draft resolution on immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which is expected to be voted on by the UN Security Council today. Both ministers expressed concern that the situation in Gaza could escalate after Israel's threat to begin an offensive on Rafah if Hamas does not free all hostages by Ramadan or 10 March. They also discussed bilateral relations, where they see opportunities for further cooperation in business, especially in tourism.

Slovenia believes Bosnia accession talks could begin at March EU summit

BRUSSELS, Belgium - At a meeting of ministers for European affairs Slovenia will recommend that the start of accession talks for Bosnia-Herzegovina be discussed at the EU leaders summit in March, State Secretary Marko Štucin said. He believes Bosnia-Herzegovina will be given a green light to start negotiations at the summit. Slovenia is also actively supporting Montenegro on its way to becoming an EU member state.

Development gap between west and east of Slovenia widens further

LJUBLJANA - The development gap between the west and east of Slovenia grew wider yet again in 2022, shows Eurostat data. Western Slovenia's GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS) was 109% of the EU average, while that of Eastern Slovenia was 73%. The gap, which has for years been either expanding or briefly remaining unchanged, grew from what was 107% and 74% of the EU average respectively in 2021.

EuroBasket qualifier with Israel to go ahead, increased security announced

KOPER - The qualifier for the 2025 EuroBasket between Slovenia and Israel will go ahead in Koper on Sunday as planned despite a widely-backed initiative for a cancellation, launched at the end of January by a group called the Solidarity Committee for Free Palestine and endorsed by more than a dozen NGOs and civil society groups in the country. The Slovenian Basketball Federation responded that, while the situation in Israel was tragic and that they sympathised with the victims on both sides, it could not unilaterally cancel the game. The police have meanwhile confirmed stepped up security measures for the match as the initiators had announced an "engagement of a part of society".

Man who abducted his children in Switzerland convicted again

LJUBLJANA - A man who abducted his children in Switzerland in December 2020 and brought them to Slovenia was sentenced to 11 months in prison in a verdict media reports say was delivered by the Ljubljana District Court on 15 February after a repeat trial. While the original verdict involved prison time in case he refused to reveal the whereabouts of the children within a month, media reports suggest that their location remains unknown. The man will appeal this verdict, meaning it is not final.