The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, received the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor on an official visit today.
After the guard of honour in the courtyard of the Magistral Palace, President Pahor and the Grand Master had a meeting in which both stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the health and social care sector. In this regard, the possibility of signing a bilateral agreement was discussed, also in view of the Grand Master’s official visit to Ljubljana in early 2017 to celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations established in 1992.
“Today’s visit marks another milestone in the history that links the Republic of Slovenia to the Order of Malta, dating back to the early 13th century when the Order’s first commenda was created near Maribor,” the Grand Master said.
During the talks the issues of migratory flows and the worrying situation in the Middle East were also examined.
The Order of Malta’s national association in Slovenia is running assistance programmes for children with disabilities and for disadvantaged families. The relief organisation also provides support and social assistance to the Roma people. The Order of Malta cooperates actively with the Civil Defence – with which it has an agreement – to intervene in natural disasters, such as the 2014 floods. In recent years, the Order of Malta in Slovenia has expanded its projects to assist migrants in transit through the country, organizing the distribution of hot meals and beverages.
