Slovenian foreign policy invested considerable efforts in formalising and enhancing relations with its four neighbours, its closest partners, which are also home to Slovenian minorities. Slovenia settled most its outstanding issues with neighbouring countries through dialogue, referring the most complex ones to legal mechanisms. However, what matters most is that the country has developed positive partner relations with its neighbours and a sound basis for intensive economic, cultural and scientific cooperation.

Similarly, Slovenia has established positive bilateral relations with other European countries. Together, they work on identifying shared interests, which provide the foundation for enhanced cooperation. Slovenia has forged particularly strong partner ties with France and Germany, the driving forces behind today's Europe. It has also built various links with Central European countries. As a Mediterranean country, Slovenia shares certain specific interests with other European countries along the Mediterranean coast.

In 2004, only 13 years after gaining independence, Slovenia attained another major foreign policy objective: membership of the EU. By joining the European Union, it became part of the common European legal and economic framework, which is founded on shared values, and gained the right to co-shape common European policies. In 2007, Slovenia consolidated its position and security by introducing the euro and joining the Schengen area. A year later, in 2008, it was the first new member to assume the rotating six-month EU Council Presidency, completing its task with great success.

All this time, Slovenia has been devoting particular attention to the Western Balkans: the stability and prosperity of the entire region have been at the heart of its political, security and economic interests. A staunch supporter of the region's integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, Slovenia has also been actively striving for good relations between Western Balkan countries within various forums, such as the Brdo Process. Furthermore, it has endeavoured to achieve a prompt settlement of the succession issues among the successor states to the former SFRY.

In these past 25 years, Slovenia has also developed good relations and close cooperation with countries on other continents. The United States and Canada are Slovenia's transatlantic partners and allies on security and political matters. Its economic, scientific and technological cooperation with the United States has increased. In Latin America, Slovenia has maintained particularly close ties with Argentina, home to a large Slovenian community, and Brazil, the country with the greatest economic potential in the region. Its relations with the Russian Federation are founded on a common cultural and Slavic heritage and historical ties, which are reaffirmed annually with the traditional commemoration ceremony at the Russian chapel below the Vršič Pass. Apart from political dialogue, Slovenian-Russian relations focus on economic cooperation.

Slovenia's ties with Turkey, another major political and economic power, are founded on a strategic partnership. Slovenia has also maintained dialogue with the Gulf states. In Asia, it has focused on countries offering great potential for intensified economic cooperation, namely China, Japan, India and South Korea. Similarly, Slovenia has been striving to strengthen cooperation with African countries, which boast considerable untapped potential. These efforts are reflected in the Africa Day international conference, which is held annually in Ljubljana.

In the context of bilateral relations, economic cooperation remains at the forefront. Economic diplomacy has become a traditional priority of Slovenia's foreign policy. Certain mechanisms have been put in place to help Slovenian businesses enter foreign markets and promote opportunities for investments, economic cooperation and tourism in Slovenia.

For Slovenia, international organisations are an important framework for the promotion of interests and realisation of its objectives. Over the years, Slovenia's foreign policy has identified priority multilateral topics, serving as the foundation for the efforts to build the country's visibility. In the past 25 years, Slovenia has been trusted with a number of important functions within international organisations: in 1998 and 1999, it was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (during that time, the country also presided over this principal UN body for two terms); in 2005, it held the Chairmanship of the OSCE and in 2009, the six-month Chairmanship of the Council of Europe, the oldest pan-European organisation in the area of human rights and the rule of law. In 2010, Slovenia joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, formally cementing its position among the most developed and successful countries in the world.

Slovenia's activities aimed at the international promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, with particular emphasis on the rights of vulnerable groups (children, women and the elderly) and the emerging topics such as the interdependence of environmental issues and human rights, are particularly noteworthy. In 2016, Slovenia will begin its second term on the UN Human Rights Council.

As to peace and stability, in 2004, Slovenia achieved another important objective: it joined NATO, the key transatlantic mechanism maintaining collective security and a major factor of international stability. Furthermore, the country has been striving to assume its share of the burden of security efforts in the Euro-Atlantic context and participate in international operations and missions. In doing so, Slovenia is proving to be a responsible member of the international community. 

Within multilateral forums, Slovenia has devoted special attention to mechanisms for peaceful dispute settlement, preventive diplomacy and international disarmament regimes. It has made a resoundingly important contribution to international efforts to ban anti-personnel landmines, which resulted in the creation of the organisation ITF – Enhancing Human Security.

Slovenia has always been an ardent advocate of full respect for international law and fostered its strengthening, particularly in the area of international criminal justice. This is an important element in efforts to prevent conflicts and atrocities. 

Since the sense of helping others in need is highly valued among Slovenes, humanitarian assistance has been among the country's foreign policy activities. Following EU accession, international development cooperation policies were established, and Slovenia became an international development assistance donor. It prides itself on development projects implemented by Slovenian NGOs: in little more than a decade, projects in over 80 countries have been carried out together with governmental and civil society partners. 

Consular services represent the initial contact of a person with a foreign state. By adapting its consular and visa operations to modern tourist, academic and business trends, Slovenia is doing its best to make this first contact a positive and trouble-free experience. Protecting the interests of Slovenian nationals abroad and helping those in trouble or distress have been intrinsic elements of foreign policy efforts for these past 25 years.

 

Slovenian foreign policy has actively contributed to the country's visibility in the world by championing substantive positions and by hosting prominent events. The Bled Strategic Forum, which has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, has become its flagship, bringing together key political decision-makers, business representatives and scholars, who every late summer meet to discuss current challenges faced by the international community and seek to find innovative solutions.  

 

Text: Ministry of Foreign Affairs