Foreign minister Anže Logar and his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva discussed the Slovenian and Portuguese upcoming stints at EU Council presidency as Logar visited Lisbon on Tuesday. The ministers agreed that both countries shared views on many European and international issues.
Portugal will take the helm of the EU presidency at the start of 2021, followed by Slovenia in the second half of 2021.
At today’s meeting, Logar called for close cooperation between Slovenia and Portugal prior to and during the presidency spells, said the Foreign Ministry.
The minister pointed out that preparations should allow for the presidency stints to be held amidst extreme circumstances due to the pandemic.
Logar and Silva focused on discussing the presidency topic since the stints are nearing. Any issues that would not be wrapped up during Portugal’s turn at the helm of the EU Council will be on the agenda of Slovenia’s presidency.
Regarding the shared views, they underscored efforts for the EU’s solidarity, unity and resilience in face of current and future global challenges.
Moreover, today’s talks revolved around the preparations for the Conference on the Future of Europe, China’s role and transatlantic relations, reads the ministry’s press release.
The partnership between Slovenia and Portugal is also key in the light of Slovenia’s interest to join the informal alliance MED7 as a Mediterranean country, said the ministry, adding that Slovenia could contribute to the group in terms of cooperation in the region.
During his visit, Logar also met Luis Capoulas Santos, the chair of Portugal’s parliamentary committee for EU affairs, and representatives of all the parliamentary parties in the country.
They all agreed that the EU Council presidency was a good opportunity for further strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
Logar travelled to Portugal from Spain where he met Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Lay on Monday. The pair talked about anti-corona measures, with Logar also presenting Slovenia’s preparations for the EU presidency.
