Under new foreign minister, aspirations to balance foreign policy
Ljubljana, 17 December - When Miro Cerar took over as foreign minister in September, he announced he would pursue an open, balanced and more coherent foreign policy. Stressing the need for friendly relations with all countries, he said Slovenia should pay more attention to the US as its main ally outside the EU.
Washington, US
Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Photo: Robi Poredoš/STA
This signalled what was perceived as a change from his predecessor Karl Erjavec's focus on Russia, although Cerar was quick to emphasise that ties with the US would not be intensified at the expense of the EU or Russia.
Three months into his term, he visited the US Department of State as the first Slovenian foreign minister after 2010, a visit seen as tangible evidence of the strengthening of ties.
Cerar sees Slovenia's place as being in a strong and united EU, but he believes the US should make its leadership in Europe more visible, or else it risks being eclipsed by China and Russia. He is confident his visit to Washington has opened a new chapter in US-Slovenia relations, and invited Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit Slovenia.
On the Western Balkans, Slovenia's stance is not expected to change, as the country remains an outspoken advocate of the region's integration into Euroatlantic organisations, which it sees as a guarantee of peace and stability.
But Slovenia's role in the region is strongly influenced by its strained relations with Croatia and the foreign minister will have his work cut out convincing Croatia to implement the 2017 border arbitration ruling. This issue was also discussed with the US secretary of state in hope of the US's more vocal support for the respect of international law.