Slovenia’s foreign-policy brand is now run by Janša’s government

For Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer, the Bled Strategic Forum has become a Slovenian foreign-policy brand, one the country can be proud of. Closing the two-day conference, he said its discussions confirmed the realistic approach used by Janez Janša’s government.

Security provided the central theme. “Security was at the center of the discussions in Bled, because without it there is no stability and prosperity,” Kajzer said. He presented the forum as an event in which all political actors should participate, even as differences at the top of the state have become increasingly visible.

Those differences involve the government and President Nataša Pirc Musar. They surfaced at a diplomatic consultation the previous week in Brdo pri Kranju, described as an introduction to the forum. The government’s approach contrasts with the more idealistic foreign policy associated with Robert Golob’s previous government, including its recognition of Palestine.

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Security was at the center of the discussions in Bled, because without it there is no stability and prosperity.

Kajzer said the forum’s focus on Central Europe did not mean Slovenia was narrowing its foreign policy. “Slovenian foreign policy is not shrinking or retreating, but focusing on frameworks in which Slovenia has opportunities to influence and act from the bottom up,” he said. The government, he added, places particular importance on the transatlantic relationship and cooperation with the United States, and plans to deepen its strategic dialogue with Washington.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is scheduled to visit Slovenia on Sept. 9 and 10, when the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia will organize a Slovenian-Israeli business forum. American diplomat Alison Hooker also emphasized state sovereignty and called for reforms to international institutions. The government did not invite leaders of key European institutions to Bled, according to the report.

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Slovenian foreign policy is not shrinking or retreating, but focusing on frameworks in which Slovenia has opportunities to influence and act from the bottom up.