Israel opens first embassy in Slovenia

Relations between the two countries cooled during the government of Robert Golob, and Israel sees an opportunity for a new beginning in Janez Janša.

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Janez Janša, Photo: Reuters
Janez Janša, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

After the Slovenian parliament approved the formation of a government led by newly elected Prime Minister Janez Janša, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that Israel would open an embassy in the country for the first time, after years of strained relations with outgoing Prime Minister Robert Golob.

Since the establishment of relations in 1992, Israeli diplomatic affairs in Slovenia have been conducted through the embassy in Vienna, which served as a non-resident mission.

"Janez Janša is a clear and steadfast friend of Israel, and his election creates a unique opportunity to advance bilateral relations between our countries, which have been at a low level in recent years due to the hostile stance of the previous government in Ljubljana," Saar said in a statement, adding that the Foreign Ministry would "act without delay" to implement the opening of the embassy.

This was reported by the newspaper "The Times of Israel", describing Janša, a former nationalist prime minister, as an admirer of US President Donald Trump and a supporter of Israel.

After Golob failed to reach an agreement after the parliamentary elections in March, Janša managed to conclude a coalition agreement to form a government.

Analysts say Janša's center-right government is likely to reverse foreign policy from the previous administration, which recognized a Palestinian state and imposed a travel ban on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his far-right ministers.

The Times of Israel reports that Slovenia is one of the few European Union members to claim that Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza was "genocide," which Israel strongly rejects.

Slovenian public broadcaster RTV was the first in Europe to call for Israel's exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025, and boycotted the 2026 contest due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Janša previously announced that, if returned to power, he would move the Slovenian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and withdraw recognition of Palestine.

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