Sustainable development was also in focus as Foreign Minister Miro Cerar addressed the opening of Bled Strategic Forum 2019, stressing that this was “our key priority and the reason why” the BSF was being held. Putting words into practice is the main responsibility, according to Cerar, who said that the burden of going sustainable and green should not fall on the shoulders of those who are already struggling now to cope with the changes in the globalised world.
That is why the BSF will not only discuss the need to go sustainable, but also propose clear plans how to act accordingly, he said. Turning to Slovenia, the foreign minister said that its most important natural environment is the EU, but also pointed to the importance of the Western Balkans as a “geostrategic arena the EU cannot afford to lose”. Cerar also touched on migration flows, labelling them an issue where the EU will stand or fall, a serious issue and consequentially a generational one, which should be looked at in a comprehensive and objective manner.