Before proceeding with the Order of Business, I have the pleasure to welcome Ambassador Marn to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Today we mark Slovenia's national day, celebrating the country's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, a milestone that reaches its 35th anniversary this year.

Ireland and Slovenia enjoy warm and longstanding relations. Ireland recognised Slovenia on 15 January 1992 and opened our embassy in Ljubljana in October 2001. Our ties deepened further when Slovenia joined the European Union at a ceremony in Dublin during Ireland's EU Presidency in 2004. In recent years our co-operation has grown through each country's term on the UN Security Council where Ireland and Slovenia have worked together to promote peace and prevent conflict.

Our cultural and economic links continue to strengthen. As members of the EU Single Market, both countries benefit from close economic co-operation. More Irish students are choosing to study at the university at Ljubljana. Irish culture - our music, dance and literature - remains popular across Slovenia. A particularly charming connection is the memorial plaque to James Joyce at Ljubljana train station marking the night he unexpectedly spent there in 1904. Slovenia itself is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for Irish visitors.

I extend my warmest wishes to Ambassador Marn and to the Slovenian community in Ireland. I also welcome the ambassador's staff from the embassy who accompany him here today for this very happy Statehood Day. In my best Slovenian: Vesel Dan državnosti . I apologise if I have mispronounced it, but happy Independence Day and enjoy your day. Thank you very much indeed.