Janez

Ljubljana – All but one parliamentary party welcomed Slovenia’s offer to accept Ukrainian refugees, although there was some scepticism whether the country has the capacity or would even need to take in between 180,000 and 200,000 as suggested by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs. The opposition also raised unequal treatment of refugees depending on their origin.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša has warned of a domino effect if Ukraine falls, noting in an interview that the country’s fate was instrumental not just for Europe but the world as a whole. He thinks now is the time for Europe to wean itself of its energy dependence on Russia.

Ljubljana – Due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine the government decided to ban Russian aircraft from Slovenia’s airspace at a correspondence session on Saturday after a number of European countries made the same move. The decision enters into force today and will remain in place “until the reasons for it cease to apply”, the government said.

Ljubljana – The Social Democrats (SD) endorsed their manifesto for the 24 April election on Saturday as their leader Tanja Fajon offered the opposition party as a safe and reliable choice between the dangers of the incumbent government on the one hand and the unpredictability of new experiments on the other.

Ljubljana – Slovenia’s officials strongly condemned Russia’s recognition of the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent entities. Prime Minister Janez Janša called for the EU to offer Ukraine the prospect of full membership. Slovenia is also ready to support the country’s membership of the EU.

Ljubljana – Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković has taken issue with the ruling Democrats (SDS) noting in a series of posts about its achievements that Ljubljana has been assessed as the safest city in Europe, saying that he does not know what SDS president and PM Janez Janša has to do with it.

Ljubljana – The newspaper Dnevnik examines the wave of unionist demands for higher wages in the public and private sectors in Monday’s commentary, finding the issue will be a mobilising force in the general election.

Lendava – Slovenian and Hungarian PMs Janez Janša and Viktor Orban stressed as they signed an agreement on cooperation to develop the border areas populated by the countries’ respective minorities in Lendava on Monday that the minorities were a “bridge for cooperation between two friendly countries” and economic ties between them brought double benefit.

Rome – Prime Minister Janez Janša and Cardinal Franc Rode featured as witnesses in a documentary on summary executions in the wake of Second World War that was aired on Rai 2, the second channel of the Italian public broadcaster, on Saturday night.

Ljubljana – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is to make an official visit to Slovenia on Monday as part of which he is to meet his counterpart Janez Janša in Lendava, the newspaper Večer and TV Slovenija have reported citing unofficial sources. Janša’s office has not responded to the STA’s question about the visit.