Biden welcomes Slovenian leader Golob to White House

President Joe Biden connected Tuesday welcomed Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob to the White House, wherever Biden spoke of the value of European unity and recognized the tiny Central European nation’s outsized relation successful the largest captive speech betwixt the U.S. and Russia successful decades.

Biden underscored Ljubljana’s captious relation successful the August swap that saw the merchandise of 24 people, including 3 high-profile Americans successful Russian custody: Wall Street Journal newsman Evan Gerskovich, Radio Free Europe newsman Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan. Slovenia held 2 Russian spies successful situation – and their merchandise was a captious portion of the deal.

“You made it possible,” Biden said to Golob successful the Oval Office. “Thank you. We made it wide to anyone who questions whether our allies matter. Well, conscionable look astatine what you did. They substance a large deal.”

Biden, who spoke of his relation successful pushing for the federation to articulation the North Atlantic Treaty Organization astir 2 decades ago, continued his propulsion for European unity – diplomatically and done institutions similar the NATO information bloc – to antagonistic Russian aggression successful Ukraine.

“Because I knew past what I cognize now: We're stronger erstwhile we basal unneurotic with bully partners similar you,” Biden said. “We've seen it successful enactment for the brave radical of Ukraine arsenic they support themselves against Russia's aggression and we spot it successful our enactment to enactment ideology and prosperity crossed the occidental Balkans.”

Golob replied by calling Biden a nickname that has go fashionable with European leaders.

“Dear Joe, conscionable a mates of words,” helium said, successful English. “And that is with small assistance of existent friends, thing is impossible. And I deliberation that's truly what our associated effort with the captive swap demonstrated to each of the world. And let's proceed to enactment successful existent relationship and with a batch of friends."

The 2 besides discussed a wide scope of issues, the White House said, similar vigor information and practice and events successful the Middle East.

This gathering – the archetypal Oval Office sojourn by a Slovenian person successful 18 years – is “a peculiarly important bequest of Biden's administration,” said Wojciech Przybylski, editor-in-chief of Warsaw-based deliberation vessel Visegrad Insight.

“Slovenia is besides a large stakeholder successful the improvement of different Southeastern European countries of the Balkan region, wherever the U.S. is investing heavy to marque Europe full and escaped from wars and autocratic rule,” helium told VOA via email. “From a geopolitical constituent of view, Russian power and adjacent much important Chinese influence, including Beijing's ambitions to beryllium the ascendant subordinate successful the Slovenian larboard of Koper, a large larboard connected the Adriatic Sea, is an important backdrop to the discussions connected the economical information of Central and Eastern Europe.”

Analyst Donatienne Ruy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told VOA by email that Golob’s sojourn is “an important designation of the tiny country’s contributions to transatlantic relations, arsenic some a NATO and an EU member.”

Slovenia, she said, is utilizing its rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council to enactment Ukraine and is an “anchor for the Western Balkans region” and it could soon play a large relation successful helming the European Commission’s enlargement efforts, arsenic the apical diplomat successful enactment for the occupation is simply a left-leaning Slovene.

The federation hasn’t ever held wide stances, she said.

“The state itself has seen ups and downs successful governance successful its post-Communist history, astir precocious nether erstwhile Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who adopted an illiberal populist stance — helium threatened the independency of the media and regularly attacked his opponents [rhetorically],” she said. “The existent authorities has been a much affirmative histrion some connected governance and ideology issues and arsenic an EU member, which the White House sojourn apt acknowledges.”

VOA asked representatives from the run of erstwhile President Donald Trump if helium planned to conscionable with Golob during his U.S. visit. Former archetypal woman Melania Trump was calved successful the confederate Slovenian metropolis of Novo Mesto. The run did not reply.