Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel received his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Ljubljana on Wednesday, ahead of the plenary meeting between the EU troika and New Zealand later in the day. The ministers discussed the potential for cooperation, particularly in trade and tourism.
The pair agreed that relations between the countries were very good. Slovenia and New Zealand are far apart on the map, but that does not mean that they cannot cooperate successfully, Peters emphasised.
On the topic of economic cooperation, Rupel pointed out the port of Koper as a strategic location that allows access to the heart of European markets. The port is used by numerous countries, and is also available for New Zealand to use, Rupel said.
There is also vast potential for cooperation in tourism. Slovenians are "active tourists that can be found everywhere", while there are also numerous New Zealanders in Europe, and they need to be shown the sights Slovenia has to offer, Rupel said.
Peters meanwhile pointed out that New Zealand has bilateral agreements with many European countries that allow young people aged 18 to 30 to find short-term jobs in the country they travel. Slovenia endorsed the initiative already in 2006, but is now waiting for New Zealand to clear an associated agreement on social security.
Both Slovenia and New Zealand are small countries, united by many common interests and values, said Peters. He highlighted past cooperation and stressed the need for small countries to retain their independent perspectives on regional and international affairs.
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