President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel made a working trip to Slovenia, where he was one of the keynote speakers at the 20th Bled Strategic Forum. The main theme of this year's event was the role of the European Union in the current geopolitical challenges.
During his trip to Slovenia, President Pavel held a number of bilateral meetings. He met with his host, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, with whom he discussed the current state of relations between the two countries and current foreign policy issues.
He also held talks with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hajia Lahbib. On the sidelines of the conference, he also met briefly with Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement.
"A central theme that ran through all the debates was the call for the European Union to realise that without sufficient instruments of its own it will not be respected as a major player in solving the current problems. It is not enough to rely only on economic, financial or scientific and technological strength; system resilience and sufficient military capacity are also needed," Paul said.
As part of his working trip, the President also visited the house of architect Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana, whose work has made an indelible mark on the shape of the contemporary Prague Castle.
The Bled Strategic Forum, which took place on 1. It was the 20th anniversary edition of this prestigious meeting of Central and South-Eastern European leaders. The Forum was subtitled "A Runaway World" and focused on Europe's role in a rapidly changing global environment marked by security and technological challenges.
The opening panel featured a discussion with the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Croatia, Albania and Montenegro, reflecting on current issues of European integration and the strategic autonomy of the region. According to the organisers, the meeting was attended by more than 2000 guests, including four presidents, four prime ministers, more than a dozen foreign ministers and representatives of international organisations.
Among other key panels that President Pavel was able to attend was the debate on the peace strategy "Sustaining Peace in a Shifting Global Order", which featured foreign ministers from Qatar and South Korea, as well as representatives of international think tanks. There was also a strong focus on the competitiveness of European tourism and the future of European enlargement. In this context, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kosova, stressed the importance of the dynamism of EU enlargement as well as the business opportunities linked to the reconstruction of Ukraine and the integration of the Western Balkan countries.
Castle.cz/gnews.cz - GH
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