President Borut Pahor will start an official visit to Austria on Thursday for talks with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen and other top officials. The visit is designed to maintain successful political dialogue at the presidential level and review bilateral cooperation between the countries so far. Pahor will also meet Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein and parliamentary Speaker Wolfgang Sobotka.
According to the Austrian Press Agency (APA), the talks between Pahor and Van der Bellen will focus on the future of the EU following the May EU elections, the EU enlargement process and climate change.
Pahor will be the first foreign head of state to visit Austria after the Ibiza scandal that swept away the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Bierlein was appointed chancellor to lead an interim government until the snap election scheduled for September.
On Wednesday evening, Pahor will attend a ceremony hosted by the Slovenian Embassy in Austria to mark the upcoming Statehood Day.
Relations between Slovenia and Austria are considered excellent, with the two countries maintaining a regular and versatile political dialogue and successful economic cooperation.
The talks are also expected to touch on the protection of the Slovenian minority in Carinthia on the basis of the 1955 Austrian State Treaty.
The notification of the treaty has been an issue, as Austria has been against any of the new countries, including Slovenia, notifying its succession to the treaty, one of whose original signatories was Yugoslavia.
Source and photo: STA