Al-Mansouri will be a non-residential ambassador, liaising with Slovenia from Vienna.

Following the morning ceremony at the Presidential Palace, he took part in the event marking the launch of the construction of the mosque in central Ljubljana.

The Muslim Community in Slovenia has been seeking to build a mosque for 40 years. A major breakthrough was achieved in 2008, when the Ljubljana Municipality sold the community land where a place of worship could be built.

Qatar is the biggest donor for the mosque, contributing around EUR 15m of the total project value estimated at EUR 22m.