Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Robert Golob of the Republic of Slovenia Before Bilateral Meeting
THE WHITE HOUSE
September 14, 2022
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Good afternoon, everybody. It’s an honor to welcome Prime Minister Golob and the delegation from the Republic of Slovenia to the White House.
Slovenia joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2004. And you’ve been a steadfast ally ever since.
And over the course of your history, you’ve faced numerous challenges, always emerged stronger, including from the breakup of Yugoslavia.
You’ve established yourselves as a leader in Central Europe on democracy, innovation, and prosperous economy.
And in the face of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, Slovenia has strongly supported the people of Ukraine. Your country has provided military, humanitarian, and financial assistance. And you’re a reliable partner in strengthening our shared security through NATO.
More broadly, Slovenia is an important member of the Western Balkans. I welcome Prime Minister Golob’s strong commitment to European integration for the region.
The future of the Western Balkans belongs in Europe, and the United States is deeply committed to working with Slovenia and other partners to advance peace, security, and prosperity throughout the region.
And finally, I want to welcome Prime Minister Golob’s leadership on addressing the climate crisis. Slovenia is already demonstrating its commitment to clean energy, having committed to be climate neutral by 2050.
The United States looks forward to working with you on this critical issue, as well as on other shared challenges, such as food insecurity.
Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. The floor is yours.
PRIME MINISTER GOLOB: (As interpreted.) Mr. President, dear Joe, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to you all from Slovenia.
I’m honored and pleased to be here today and to address you. Our relationship is strong and well-established, and it’s rooted in shared values and interests, but also in personal friendships that we have built over the years.
We are grateful for your leadership in the global fight for democracy, human rights, peace, and environmental protection.
Europe is currently facing challenging times, especially due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. We are proud of our principled, united response to Russia’s aggression. Slovenia firmly condemns Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.
We support Ukraine’s right to self-defense and its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We already provided Ukraine with significant amount of military, humanitarian, and financial assistance. We are also actively involved in welcoming Ukrainian refugees and providing them with protection and support.
The United States is a key and trustworthy partner for Slovenia, not only in the field of security, but also in economy, trade, and innovation.
We are delighted that you have recognized the importance of the Western Balkan region and that you have appointed a special envoy for Western Balkans. Slovenia is strongly committed to the European perspective for the Western Balkans.
Therefore, we welcome the U.S. engagement and the renewed transatlantic unity in supporting the European perspective of the region.
Mr. President, the world is facing many challenges, including energy and food insecurity, environmental protection, and economic recovery. We believe that by working together, we can tackle these challenges and contribute to the prosperous future of all.
Slovenia is committed to supporting and strengthening transatlantic ties. We value our partnership with the United States and we highly appreciate U.S. commitment to the security of Europe.
Once again, thank you so much for the kind invitation. I wish you all the best and successful meeting.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you very much. All the best.
The AI has provided us with the news.
I’ve asked Google Gemini the following question, and here’s its response.
Please search for “Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Robert Golob of the Republic of Slovenia Before Bilateral Meeting” which is rapidly rising on The White House and explain in detail. Answers should be in English.
37