On the second day of the Munich Security Conference, President Pahor chairs a panel discussion on unresolved conflicts in Europe and holds talks on the situation in Ukraine with Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, chairs the discussion on the topic "After Ukraine – The Unresolved Conflicts in Europe" at the 51^st Munich Security Conference. Participants in the discussion include Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Aleksandar Vučić, the Prime Minister of Serbia which assumed chairmanship of the OSCE in January, and Vesna Pusić, the Foreign Minister of Croatia.


Photo: Müller/MSC

On the sidelines of the security conference, President Pahor first met this morning the President of the Republic of Estonia Tomas Hendrik Ilves. The two statesmen affirmed the excellent relations between the two countries and pledged to further deepen the political dialogue. They agreed that the two counties could make better use of opportunities for economic cooperation, particularly in the area of investment. Their discussion also touched upon other topical international issues, and they agreed that the situation in Ukraine is highly critical. They called for a determined, uniform and lasting political solution for the conflict based on the Minsk accords. They assessed the intentional infliction of suffering on the civilian population of Ukraine as a cause for concern and condemned any activity undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

A longer talk between the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, shortly before his meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry, and President Pahor was focused on the situation in Ukraine and on an exchange of views on the possible political solution in that country. President Pahor reiterated Slovenia's support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and highlighted the victims among the civilian population who should not pay the price for the redistribution of the balance of power between superpowers and the demarcation of spheres of interest. The two statesmen agreed on the need to maintain the political dialogue between European Union and the Russian Federation and to find ways for a peaceful solution to the present situation. In this context, President Pahor expressed his support for activities conducted by France and Germany with a view to achieving a political agreement on the conflict in Ukraine.

Tonight, after the discussion he is chairing, President Pahor will also meet the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the relationship between the two countries and the possibilities for strengthening dialogue at the highest political level. Mr Poroshenko also met today with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the US Vice-President Joseph Biden in the framework of the French-German peace initiative.