Slovenia's speaker plans Moscow trip and NATO exit vote
Slovenian parliament speaker Zoran Stevanović (photo: BOBO)
Slovenia's new parliament speaker Zoran Stevanović said immediately after his election that he plans to visit Moscow and hold a referendum on the country's exit from NATO, Radio Prvi reports.
Trip to Moscow
On April 13, Radio Prvi published on Instagram a statement by newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia Zoran Stevanović about his intention to visit the Russian capital in the near future.
"I would like to build bridges, to cooperate well with all countries, regardless of the wall that has been built between the West and the East. So I plan to visit Moscow in the near future," Stevanović said.
Referendum on NATO
In addition to the trip to Moscow, the politician announced holding a referendum on Slovenia's exit from the Alliance.
"We promised the people a referendum on leaving NATO and that we will also hold this referendum," Radio Prvi quoted him as saying.
Stevanović also supports the gradual lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.
Does Slovenia's speaker hold pro-Russian views?
The politician himself denies accusations of pro-Russian views.
"I do not have pro-Russian views, only pro-Slovenian ones. We believe that Slovenia should pursue its own policy independently, sovereignly," the speaker emphasized.
At the same time, he added that the country should cooperate with all countries in the world, especially with major ones. However, according to him, cooperation does not mean subordination.
"We will be absolutely against interference in foreign military and diplomatic disputes," he added.
The Russian State Duma has already reacted to Stevanović's election, saying it is "ready for constructive dialogue with colleagues from the National Assembly of Slovenia based on equality and mutual respect for national interests."
Who is Stevanović
Stevanović's election came as a surprise: the Freedom Movement of Prime Minister Robert Golob won the parliamentary elections, but a representative of another force became speaker.
Stevanović leads the Resni.ca party, which is described in the media as Eurosceptic.
Slovenia has been a NATO member since 2004 and has so far supported the Euro-Atlantic course. It joined the Alliance during the largest round of enlargement, along with six other countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia), after a referendum in which 66% of citizens supported accession.
At the same time, the referendum confirmed the course toward European integration.
In the parliamentary elections in Slovenia in March 2026, the Freedom Movement of Prime Minister Robert Golob won with 28.54% of the vote. However, to form a majority, he had to negotiate a coalition with several parties.
