Slovenia wants to attract more Filipino workers in the country as it signs a new deal on labor mobility with the Philippines, its foreign minister said Tuesday.

At a joint press conference in Manila with Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon announced that she would sign the memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation with the Department of Migrant Workers.

The deal aims to ensure fair and transparent employment opportunities for Filipinos in Slovenia.

“Filipinos are held in high regard around the world for their dedication, strong work ethic, and loyalty, and we look forward to welcoming more workers from the Philippines to Slovenia,” she said.

Based on the latest data of the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are some 413 Filipinos in Slovenia, mostly clerical support workers, service and sales workers, technicians and associate professionals.

During her three-day official visit to the Philippines from March 10 to 12, the Slovenian Embassy in Manila is also holding a labor event to provide recruitment agencies more information about the labor landscape in Slovenia.

At their bilateral meeting, Fajon and Manalo also discussed continuing cooperation in other sectoral areas, such as space, science and technology applications, nuclear energy, maritime education, training, and sports.

This is the first ever visit of a Slovenian foreign minister to the Philippines, which Manalo described as a “milestone” in the 31 years of Philippine-Slovenia diplomatic relations.

“The positive trajectory of Philippines-Slovenia bilateral relations is largely a result of our shared values and an alignment of views on regional and global issues,” he said.

Fajon is joined by a Slovenian business delegation of about 40 companies engaged in mobility, manufacturing, food and beverage, information and communications technology, science and technology, and hospitality.

The business delegation will meet with their counterparts from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry or PCCI during the Slovenia-Philippines Business Forum on March 12, with the aim of encouraging and promoting collaboration between the nations’ Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and between Philippine and Slovenian businesses.

Minister Fajon will also formally open the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Manila, currently the only mission of Slovenia in the Southeast Asia region. (PNA)