MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) Slovenia, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, firmly believes that the relations with Russia should be stepped up with prospects for wide-range cooperation, Slovenian Ambassador to Moscow Branko Rakovec told Sputnik.
"Slovenia firmly stands for developing relations with Russia, for dialogue and cooperation, primarily in those areas that are of common interest. These are ecology, environmental protection, green economy, health care. Of course, we hope that our relationship will grow strongly," Rakovec said.
The diplomat noted that last year's trade turnover between Ljubljana and Moscow amounted to 1.3 billion Euros ($1.5 billion), calling it a good result.
Slovenia primarily exports pharmaceutical products to Russia, which in turn supplies energy resources, including oil and gas.
In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his Slovenian counterpart, Anze Logar, during a meeting in Moscow that Russia valued its relations with Slovenia, as they were not affected by expedience and opportunism.
