Events

July 2008

Ambassador Ghafari visits Trebnje and Sevnica

On Tuesday, July 15, Ambassador Ghafari traveled Trebnje and Sevnica to talk with local leaders about opportunities for cooperation and economic development.

Ambassador Ghafari's first stop was a visit to the summer program of Slovenski E-Forum, an NGO that works for clean energy solutions. The student participants in the summer program, mostly college students of engineering, were learning to build solar panels that would later be donated to the local community. In his address, Ambassador Ghafari encouraged the students to follow their goals wherever they may lead, telling them how he had begun his career as an engineer before becoming an entrepreneur and later a diplomat. He also promoted the Fulbright Scholarship program as a valuable opportunity for educational exchange. Andrej Klemenc, the head of the Slovenski E-Forum, recently returned from a trip to the United States, where he participated in discussions about renewable energy and climate policies as part of the International Visitors Leadership Program, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Government.

The Ambassador also visited with the Mayor of Trebnje, Alojzij Kastelic, for a discussion about prospects for local business development and investment. Mayor Kastelic is currently involved in the planning of a new spa complex to be constructed in Trebnje.

Later in the day, Ambassador Ghafari met with Tatjana Fink, the General Manager of the Slovene engineering and construction firm Trimo. The Ambassador and Ms. Fink discussed environmentally friendly construction and the possibility of collaboration between Trimo and U.S. companies. Earlier this year, Ms. Fink spoke at a forum on women in entrepreneurship hosted by Maryruth Coleman, the embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission.

On his way back to Ljubljana, Ambassador Ghafari took some time to visit the city of Sevnica, where a tragic boating accident on July 3 claimed the lives of 13 local community members, including Sevnica's Mayor and several other government officials. The Ambassador met with Srečko Ocvirk, the city's Deputy Mayor, to offer his condolences.

In all, the Ambassador's visit to Trebnje was a valuable step forward in his plans to expand and support U.S.-Slovene economic cooperation.

Ambassador Ghafari with participants of the Slovenski E-Forum summer program

Ambassador Ghafari touring the Trimo plant with the firm's General Manager, Tatjana Fink