Ani Badalyan Provides Details on Support Extended to Slovenia

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided details on the support being extended to Slovenia, which was affected by floods at the beginning of August. The Ministry also discussed programs conducted by Slovenia for children affected by the armed conflict in Artsakh and those residing in border areas of Armenia. Spokesperson Ani Badalyan addressed the topic in response to a question from Armenpress.

“As you may know, in early August, Slovenia faced the most devastating natural disaster in its history—flooding—that impacted nearly two-thirds of the country. Emphasizing the importance of an appropriate response to natural disasters and the coordination of efforts to combat them where necessary, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan expressed Armenia’s readiness to assist Slovenia in addressing the aftermath of the floods during a visit to Slovenia this August,” she stated.

This assistance symbolizes not only the significance of support and political solidarity based on humanitarian considerations in such situations, which Armenia has also faced, but also the developing cooperation between the two countries.

It is noteworthy that on October 15, 2022, exactly one year ago, with the support of the Slovenian government, particularly the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the program for the psychological and social rehabilitation of children affected by the armed conflict in Artsakh was conducted by Slovenia’s ITF Enhancing Human Security. As a result, 11 children were hosted at the rehabilitation center in Debeli Rtič, Slovenia. This was the first program implemented as a result of this cooperation, followed by another program for children from Armenia’s border regions, taking place from August 26 to September 3, 2023. The children had the opportunity to participate in various educational and recreational programs and events at the Slovenian Red Cross Health and Youth Resort.

At the launch of the aforementioned second program, the Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Slovenia, including the rehabilitation center, where he familiarized himself with the center's activities and cooperation possibilities. It should be noted that this collaboration is ongoing. On October 5, the director of Slovenia’s ITF Enhancing Human Security, Tomaž Lovrenčič, arrived in Yerevan, where discussions with Armenian authorities highlighted the positive impact of the programs for children, as well as addressing matters related to organizing a new phase of these and other programs.

Earlier, it was announced that the Armenian government allocated €50,000 to Slovenia for combating the aftermath of the floods.