According to O Jornal Económico, The heads of state of Portugal and Slovenia agreed that the two countries should deepen cooperation in several areas, with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, visiting Ljubljana, challenging his counterpart to visit Lisbon this year.

Speaking in English at a Slovenia-Portugal economic forum held in Ljubljana as part of his official visit to Slovenia, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reiterated that the two countries “have a lot in common”, not least because they share values ​​and principles in the way they see the current world, in which, he stressed, it is “good to have friends” and “work together”.

The President of the Republic noted that “a new world order is about to emerge”, as “the old order has been slowly replaced daily”, and considered that “this is a difficult transition” for countries like Portugal and Slovenia, who “greatly value multilateralism, tolerance and working together”, but are witnessing the “return of isolationism and protectionism and a crisis of multilateralism”.

Considering also that there is “a new cycle in the European Union, difficult but promising”, Marcelo said that “at these times it is good to have friends, share values ​​and work together, not only politically, but economically and socially”, so “this visit takes place at the right time”.

The President of the Republic urged the Slovenian and Portuguese business people present at the forum to develop “partnerships in very specific sectors”, and expressed his hope for a second forum to be held in Portugal, to continue the work now being carried out in Ljubljana, and then announced that he intends to invite the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, to pay a visit to Portugal later this year, during her term of office (which ends in early 2026).

“If not before, then in November, at the Web Summit,” he said.

For her part, the President of Slovenia, noting that the two countries “have a lot in common” and a good bilateral relationship, maintained that there is still “great potential to increase cooperation” in areas such as renewable energy, research and innovation, tourism, information technology and even agriculture.

Considering that Portugal, which he classified as “a reliable partner”, is “an example to follow in many aspects, especially in its ambitious transition to renewable energies”, Musar expressed his hope for an increase in “mutual investments in fields of high added value”, rejoicing that, today, the two countries have already signed a memorandum of understanding in the area of ​​tourism.

In this regard, Marcelo revealed his desire that this year or next year at the latest, direct air links between the two countries be launched.

At the invitation of Nataša Pirc Musar, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa began a state visit to Slovenia on 17 March, the second of the current mandate, after the one carried out in 2021, the year in which the two countries assumed the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

After having participated in a reception for the Portuguese community in this country, one of the former republics of the former Yugoslavia, on Monday afternoon, upon arriving in Ljubljana, the Portuguese head of state was received with military honours in the Congress Square of the Slovenian capital and laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of All Wars, after which he met with Musar at the Presidential Palace.

After signing the bilateral memorandum of understanding in the area of ​​tourism, Marcelo had a working lunch hosted by the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob, met with the Vice-President of the National Assembly, Danijel Krivec, and visited the biotechnology hub of the National Institute of Biology, before participating in the economic forum.

On the second and final day of this state visit, Marcelo will travel to the coastal town of Piran today, where he will participate, together with the Slovenian President, in a conversation with university students from the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), and will have a farewell lunch with Musar after a tour of the historic centre and then he will return to Portugal.