Slovenian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Karl Erjavec met today with his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Janelidze and discussed the two countries’ cooperation in political, economic and humanitarian fields.

In his remarks at a joint press conference, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze thanked Erjavec for attending the Belt and Silk Forum in Tbilisi, and added that bilateral relations between Georgia and Slovenia “are growing in all areas.”

“We are happy that Minister Erjavec visited Georgia together with a delegation of Slovenian businesspeople and we believe that this will contribute to strengthening our relations and to opening up of new opportunities for our economic cooperation,” Janelidze noted.

Minister Janelidze also said that Tbilisi “holds in high regard” Slovenia’s political support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its support in multilateral forums and of Georgia’s European and NATO integration.

“Georgia is a key EU partner in the region, and close, reliable NATO partner. [It] has made impressive progress in approximation of Georgian legislation to EU standards,” Erjavec responded.

Earlier today, Minister Erjavec also addressed the Belt and Silk Forum, saying “transport infrastructure is vital for trade.” “I welcome the initiative to renew land corridors and maritime connectivity. Port of Koper offers easiest access to sea for Central Europe,” he noted.

During his first official visit to Tbilisi on November 27-28, Foreign Minister Erjavec will also meet President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Parliamentary Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze.