First Deputy
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held a meeting
with Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Sajovic.
The event was also
attended by the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Modern Information Technologies
and Innovations in the Budget Process of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on
Budgetary Issues, Denys Herman (Co-Chair of the Interparliamentary Relations
Group with the Republic of Slovenia), Deputy Chairman of the Committee on
Foreign Policy and International Cooperation Arsenii Pushkarenko (Deputy
Co-Chair of the Interparliamentary Relations Group with the Republic of Slovenia)
and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of
Slovenia Petro Beshta.
Oleksandr
Korniienko expressed his sincere gratitude to Slovenia for its multi-level
support to Ukraine in strengthening its defence capabilities and protecting its
sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the warm welcome during
the November visit of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation and the friendship
group with Slovenia in 2025. According to him, the meetings gave a productive
impetus to the development of interparliamentary relations and will contribute
to further cooperation between the committees of both parliaments on issues of
defence and European integration of Ukraine.
The First Deputy
Speaker also noted the importance of Slovenia’s accession to the PURL
initiative, which could serve as an example for other NATO partners that have
not yet joined. At the same time, he emphasised the real potential for
expanding bilateral military-technical cooperation.
«Defence support
remains a priority. In addition, we raised the issue of russia’s inevitability
of responsibility for the crimes committed on the territory of our state,»
Oleksandr Korniienko noted.
The visit of Borut
Sajovic, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, to Ukraine took place
against the backdrop of intensified russian attacks on our country’s energy
infrastructure. In this regard, the parties discussed strengthening Ukraine’s
air defence, as well as protecting the civilian population and critical
infrastructure.
A particular topic
of discussion was Ukraine’s European aspirations and ambitious goals to
complete preparations for accession to the European Union. The First Deputy
Speaker noted Ukraine’s readiness to carry out the necessary reforms and
thanked Slovenia for supporting our country on its path to European
integration.
