Celebration of Slovenia’s 35th National Day of the Republic of Slovenia and Slovenian Armed Forces Day

In his address, Ambassador Iztok Mirošič emphasized that Slovenia is today a successful country and described relations between Slovenia and the United States as strong and multifaceted across numerous fields. He noted that the two countries are allies within NATO and that the Slovenian Armed Forces cooperate closely with the Colorado National Guard. Slovenia supports strong transatlantic, European, and bilateral relations. He highlighted that Slovenia's new government seeks to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of energy, science, innovation, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and space technologies. He stressed that the Slovenia-U.S. Strategic Dialogue should continue to produce concrete results.

American investments in Slovenia are welcomed, just as many Slovenian companies operating in the United States employ American workers. Ambassador Mirošič also expressed a desire to strengthen city-to-city ties and noted with pride the recent donation of a traditional Slovenian beehive for educational purposes, aimed at teaching younger generations about the importance of bees and pollinators for humanity's survival, as well as fostering cooperation between the capitals, Ljubljana and Washington, D.C.

In light of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations this year, he also highlighted the role of the Slovenian community in the United States and the contributions Slovenians have made over generations to the development of the United States as a global power. He noted that the First Lady of the United States, who is of Slovenian heritage, represents a special link between the two countries and reiterated Slovenia's support for her global initiative, "Fostering the Future Together," which works to benefit children worldwide through empowerment, education in artificial intelligence, and digital literacy.

The American speakers at the event were Daniel J. Lawton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western, Central Europe and Southern Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and Major General, the 45th Adjutant General of Colorado, Mr. Robert B. Davis.

Daniel Lawton congratulated Slovenia on the 35th anniversary of its independence and thanked the country for its partnership with the United States, which remains firmly rooted in shared values of democracy, freedom, free enterprise, and the rule of law. He described Slovenia as a reliable NATO ally and an important leader in promoting stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans. He further emphasized that the partnership continues to deepen in the areas of civilian nuclear energy, the Three Seas Initiative, energy security, protection of critical infrastructure, and the resilience of supply chains in Central and Eastern Europe.

Major General Robert Davis expressed appreciation for the strong military partnership between Slovenia and the Colorado National Guard, which marks 32 years of friendship through the State Partnership Program. Under this framework, more than 500 cooperative activities have been carried out, including multiple joint deployments to Afghanistan.

The event also marked the opening of the exhibition "Us and Them Without Frontiers" by the Technical Museum of Slovenia, which showcases the achievements of Slovenians and Slovenian Americans in the development of the United States through innovation, science, technology and engineering.

Among those featured is astronaut Sunita Williams, who participated in three major missions to the International Space Station and spent a total of 608 days in space. The exhibition also highlights Voyager program engineer Anton Mavretič, experimental physics professor Anton Peterlin, planetary researcher Marija Strojnik, electronics professor Aleš Strojnik, Silicon Valley pioneer France Rode, inventor Peter Florjančič, and Herman Potočnik Noordung, whose pioneering work in space technology inspired future generations of scientists.

Also displayed were the world's first handheld scientific calculator, the HP-35 from 1972, developed at Hewlett-Packard by France Rode, and logarithmic tables from 1794 created by Slovenian inventor Jurij Vega. Both items were loaned to the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington by the President of the Republic of Slovenia for the purposes of the exhibition.

Several hundred guests attended the reception, including members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the U.S. administration, military officers, members of the academic and business communities and the Slovenian community in the United States. The evening was enhanced by a performance from the Chamber Group of the Slovenian Armed Forces Orchestra. Guests were also introduced to Slovenian cuisine and wines.