Israel Opens Permanent Embassy in Slovenia: "A Sign of New Beginnings and Renewed Hope"

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Slovenia, the first ever resident Israeli embassy in the country. This is the fifth embassy that Israel has opened in a period of a year and a half. 

Sa'ar decided to open the embassy on the day of the inauguration of the new government in Slovenia, headed by Janez Janša. Since taking office, the new Slovenian government has expressed support for Israel, including within the framework of the European Union, and has taken steps to strengthen relations between the countries.

Israel opens an embassy in Slovenia. Photo: Shalio Mann

This comes after the previous government adopted a more hostile policy toward Israel, which included, among other things, canceling Israir flights to Ljubljana, declaring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persona non grata, and terminating arms agreements with Israel. The current government, which was sworn in last June, has reversed these measures.

As part of Saar's visit, Israel and Slovenia also signed cooperation agreements in youth, sports, education, and student scholarships.

Alongside the diplomatic visit, the Foreign Minister is accompanied by a business delegation that includes representatives of leading Israeli companies and economic organizations. As part of the visit, an Israeli-Slovenian business forum is also being held with the participation of the foreign ministers of both countries.

Slovenia. Photo: Sapir Peretz Zilberman

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar: "We are inaugurating the embassy two days before Rosh Hashanah, the holy holiday for Jews. This is a sign of new beginnings and new hopes."

Slovenian Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer: "Today we signed cooperation agreements between the two countries on various issues, youth, sports, education and scholarships for students. We will strive for relations with Israel to be open, strong and based on trust."