FM Fajon to visit Philippines, Thailand and India this week
Ljubljana/Manila/Bangkok, 10 March - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon is set to visit the Philippines on Tuesday and Wednesday in what will be the first ever visit to that country by a head of Slovenian diplomacy. Her talks will focus primarily on employment, before she continues her Asian tour in Thailand on Thursday and Friday and concludes the week in India.
Ljubljana
Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
File photo
In the Philippines, the minister will meet her counterpart Enrique Manalo and be received by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos. The Foreign Ministry expects discussions to cover cooperation in combating climate change, energy security, and collaboration in maritime affairs, sport, culture, and science, particularly in space technology.
Together with Deputy Foreign Minister Thereso Lazaro, Fajon will officially open the new premises of the Slovenian embassy in Manila, which will serve as Slovenia's sole embassy in SE Asia or within the ASEAN region. Officials say this move will strengthen ties with a region of growing importance in global supply chains amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.
The visit also aims to enhance economic relations and establish greater cooperation in the field of labour, the ministry announced.
Accompanied by representatives of several Slovenian companies and research institutions, as well as delegates from the Chamber of Commerce and industry (GZS), the SPIRIT development agency, and the Employment Service, the minister will sign a memorandum of understanding with Filipino Secretary for Migrant Workers, Hans Cacdac, on labour mobility.
The aim is to establish a more controlled process of labour migration, as Filipino workers currently enter Slovenia through various channels. At present, there are slightly over 400 Filipino workers in Slovenia.
"Our aim is indeed to prevent exploitation and illegal business practices," Employment Service director general Greta Metka Barbo Škerbinc said ahead of the visit.
While in Manila, the minister will also attend an employment event where job seekers will be provided with reliable information about working and living conditions in Slovenia.
On Wednesday, a Slovenian-Filipino business forum will be held in Manila, with representatives of 23 Slovenian companies and two research institutions taking part. At the forum, the GZS and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry will sign a cooperation agreement designed to build on an existing accord and to enhance the exchange of information and best practices.
The minister will then continue her regional tour in Thailand on Thursday and Friday. The country has not hosted a Slovenian foreign minister since 2006, nor has there been a Thai minister visit to Slovenia since 2011.
In Bangkok, Fajon is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa to discuss bilateral cooperation, collaboration between the EU and ASEAN, the impact of geopolitical shifts on SE Asia, and other current foreign policy issues.
The pair will sign a cooperation agreement abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, service and official passports, while a memorandum of understanding between the diplomatic academies of the two countries will also be signed.
The minister will moreover take part in a panel on the role of women in multilateralism, organised by the Thai Foreign Ministry, and will join representatives of the GZS and the SPIRIT agency in discussions at the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Industry.
Fajon will conclude her Asian tour in India, where she will attend the international Raisina Dialogue conference - a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi - at the weekend and meet with the head of Indian diplomacy, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.