Slovenia opens embassy in the Philippines

A year ago, the Slovenian government decided to open its first embassy in the ASEAN region in Manila.

- Smiljana Knez

Next week, Tanja Fajon, Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, will pay an official visit to the Philippines and officially open the embassy.

The visit of Minister Fajon and the opening of the embassy herald enhanced cooperation in areas of common interest. We will promote stronger economic ties, more investment, trade growth and people-to-people contacts. We look forward to stronger cultural cooperation.

In this context, we congratulate the Philippines on its status as Guest of Honor at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, a status Slovenia enjoyed two years ago, which we saw as a tribute to the nation's entire culture, not just literature. We firmly believe that we could strengthen cooperation in science, R&D and sport.

Basketball and Slovenian star Luka Dončić are very popular here. We are also very much looking forward to the Men's Volleyball World Championships in the Philippines in September, in which the Slovenian national team will participate.

Slovenia and the Philippines shall strengthen its political ties. In the context of multilateralism, we are like-minded countries. This year, the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War – a war that fundamentally changed the world. Slovenia lost a tenth of its population; Manila lost a hundred thousand lives in a single month and was one of the most devastated cities. Aimed at building a better world based on rules and respect for human dignity, the United Nations was founded shortly after the end of the war. The United Nations system may not be perfect and requires urgent reform, but it is the world's only guardian of peace.