Ljubljana, 4 September 2008 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia has delivered a diplomatic note to the Embassy of Finland in Ljubljana concerning Monday's television broadcast about Patria, made by YLE, Finland's national broadcasting company.

In the note, the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs brought to the attention of the Finnish side that in the aforementioned broadcast, Prime Minister Janez Janša had been accused of accepting bribes regarding the purchase of Patria armoured vehicles.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed surprise at the serious allegations against the Slovenian Prime Minister and emphasised that, with due respect for the right to freedom of expression and the independence of the media, the accusations made on Finnish national television against the Prime Minister of a friendly country without providing solid evidence of his involvement are intolerable.

The Foreign Ministry also stated that this television programme amounted to an intervention in the Slovenian political campaign prior to the parliamentary elections, scheduled for 21 September 2008. As such conduct could shake mutual confidence between the two states, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects appropriate clarification of this matter.