Official visit of the President of the Republic Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou to Slovenia. (21-23 Αpril 2021)

The President of the Hellenic Republic Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, accompanied, among others, by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Konstantinos Frangogiannis, paid an official visit to Slovenia from 21 to 23 April 2021, at the invitation of her  Slovenian counterpart Mr. Borut Pahor. This was one of the first visits of the President of the Republic abroad, during the pandemic, a fact indicative of the exceptional level of bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit and the meetings of the President of the Republic sealed the close cooperation of Greece and Slovenia, as partners in the EU. and NATO allies, with a common interest in the Balkans and the Future of Europe and common views on a range of international issues, while at the same time giving new impetus to the expansion of bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade / economic relations.

The visit included, on April 22, 2021, the official welcoming ceremony in the Congress Square, the laying of a wreath by the President of the Republic at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars, the exchange of honors between the two presidents, private talks with the President of Slovenia as well as extended talks between the delegations of the two countries and a press conference. Afterwards, the President of the Republic was received in the Parliament of Slovenia by the speaker  of the Parliament, Mr. Igor Zorčič, who then hosted a working lunch in honor of the Greek delegation. The two Presidents then went to the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, where they made short speeches  and had an interesting discussion with students at the school about the "Green Digital Future". This was followed by a visit of the President of the Republic to the City Hall of Ljubljana where she was welcomed by the Mayor Mr. Zoran Janković and members of the city council. In the evening, the President of the Republic of Slovenia Mr. Borut Pahor hosted a formal dinner in honor of the President and the members of the Greek delegation at Brdo castle.

The next day, the President of the Republic and the Greek delegation went to the city of Koper / Capodistria, from where the family of the first governor of the modern Greek state, Ioannis Kapodistrias, originates. There at Kopodistria Square of Koper, after a short reception by the mayor of the city Mr. Aleš Bržan, the President of the Republic together with his Slovenian counterpart Mr. Borut Pahor proceeded to  unveiling  the "Bench  of Friendship Greece-Slovenia", next to the statue of I. Kapodistrias. The President of the Republic and the Greek delegation then went to the port of Koper, where they were received by the Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure Mr. Jernej Vrtovec and the CEO of the company Mr. Dimitrij Zadel. This was followed by a brief presentation of the activities and business plans of the port of Koper and a tour of the facilities. The two Presidents also  visited the coastal town of Izola and the construction site of the largest wooden building in Slovenia, built by the research institute InnoRenew CoE, where they were welcomed by the Mayor of Izola Danilo Markočič and the Rector of the Primorska K Primorska University. There was a brief presentation of the activities of the InnoRenew CoE Institute by the Director of the foundation Dr. Andreja Kutnar, who stresed  the cooperation they have with Greek educational and research institutions. The program ended  with a luncheon in honor of the President of the Republic and members of the delegation by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Borut Pahor, at the Vila Tartini in Portoroz.