Slovenia reopens embassy in Ukraine

LJUBLJANA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia reopened its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Monday, after it evacuated all its diplomats from Ukraine on Feb. 26 following the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The embassy was reopened by temporary charge d'affaires Bostjan Lesjak, while Slovenian ambassador to Ukraine Tomaz Mencin continues to work from the Polish city of Rzeszow which lies close to the Ukrainian border, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

"Upon arriving in Kiev, Lesjak said that he can hear alarms and detonations in the distance but that the life of the people who remained in Kiev continues as normal," the ministry said.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa visited Kiev on March 15, along with his Polish and Czech counterparts, when they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to express their support.

"We are back. The Slovenian and European flags flutter again in front of the (embassy). When the team travelled to the capital (Kiev) yesterday, they saw many civilians returning to the city," Jansa said on his Twitter account on Monday.

A Slovenian government representative said on Monday that about 7,000 refugees from Ukraine have so far asked for a temporary protection in Slovenia, which lies between Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Italy.