INTERVIEW OF AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA

On the eve of Slovenia’s Statehood Day on 25^th June, the editor of The News Analytics Journal (TNJ), Ms Sandhya Srivastava, interacted with H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh, Ambassador of the  Republic of Slovenia to India.

– Published in The News Analytics Journal June 2024 Edition

TNJ:  June 25th marks Slovenia’s Statehood Day. Could you share a brief message about the significance of this day for the Slovenian people?

H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh:     Statehood Day is a Slovenian national holiday. It commemorates June 25, 1991, when Slovenia formally became independent. On this day, the Declaration of the Independence of Slovenia and the Basic Constitutional Charter on Independence and Independence of Slovenia were adopted. As such, the day has an enormous significance for the Slovenian people: it was the first time (after centuries and centuries) that Slovenia became an independent country again.

Statehood Day should not be confused with Independence and Unity Day, which is celebrated on December 26 in memory of December 26, 1990, when the results of the plebiscite/referendum were announced, in which 88.5% of Slovenians voted for Slovenia to become a sovereign and independent country.

TNJ:  India and Slovenia have enjoyed friendly relations since 1992. In your view, what are the key strengths of this bilateral relationship?

H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh:     Slovenia–India relations date back before Slovenia’s independence, already to the times when Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia. Slovenia as an independent state built relations with India with this historic background. The bilateral relations have broadened with Slovenia’s membership in the European Union, India’s rise at the global level, and with the opening of the respective embassies in our two countries (Slovenia in India in 2002/2003 and India in Slovenia in 2007).

The strengthening of relations has been demonstrated by regular exchanges of visits (Prime Minister of Slovenia’s visit to India in 2011; exchange of visits of Speakers of Parliament (Indian to Slovenia in 2013, Slovenian to India in 2016; President of India visited Slovenia in 2019; Minister of External Affairs of India visited Slovenia on bilateral visit and participated at Bled Strategic Forum in 2021; Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs visited India on the occasion of Raisina dialogue in 2022 and 2023), with continuation of political consultations between ministries of foreign/external affairs, and by increasing economic cooperation between our two countries.

TNJ:  Looking ahead, are there any specific areas where you see potential for increased cooperation between India and Slovenia, perhaps economically or technologically?

H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh:     Economic cooperation has been gradually increasing, with trade showing a big rise in the past few years. It has more than doubled in the past 3 years. With diversifying of global supply chains more opportunities arise. The sectors that Slovenia sees as the most promising for broadening the cooperation are space, green hydrogen, and water sector. As for the technology side, efforts are underway to operationalize the recently established SITE (Science Innovation Technology Economy). It aims to establish the bridge between Slovenian and Indian businesses and the transfer of technology. 

TNJ:  Beyond political ties, what are some ways India and Slovenia can strengthen cultural exchange and people-to-people bonds?

H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh:     People-to-people bonds are in my opinion the most important element of relations between two countries. As such, they importantly contribute to government-to-government and business-to-business relations.  The closeness and understanding between our people can be enriched in different ways. You mentioned cultural exchanges. The other important avenues are student exchanges. We can also bring people closer together through tourism and sports.

I am happy to see that the Embassy can now support around 2-3 culture projects annually. We introduced Slovenian musicians, (multi-media) artists, and authors to the Indian audience. More efforts are needed in the student exchanges. While we do register some Indian students heading to Slovenia (including for master’s and PhD studies), meeting Slovenian students in India are much rarer sight. Both sides need to undertake more efforts here.

TNJ:  As India and Slovenia celebrate their respective milestones, is there a common message you’d like to convey about the future direction of our relations?

H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh:  We are living in turbulent times when we are witnesses of the rebalancing of international relations. As such there is a lot of instability in today’s world. But I am happy to note that the relations between Slovenia, and more broadly Europe on one side and India on the other side, are pillars of stability and of growing cooperation. I think together we can importantly contribute to a more peaceful, safer, and more environment kind world.