Germany–Slovenia relations

Germany–Slovenia relations

Germany	Slovenia

Germany–Slovenia relations are the foreign relations between Germany and Slovenia. Germany–Slovenia state relations are good and harmonious. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 January 1992. Germany has an embassy in Ljubljana. Slovenia has an embassy in Berlin and a general consulate in Munich. Both countries are full members of NATO and the European Union. There are more than 50,000 Slovenes who live in Germany and more than 50,000 autochthonous Germans who live in Slovenia, and have no protection of minority rights (and their human rights) from laws in Slovenian constitution. In the early years of Republic Slovenia independence from Yugoslavia, Germany was a strong advocate for the self-determination of the Slovenes, and instituted a comprehensive consulting and support program for the promotion of democratization and market reform process in that country. Germany supported Slovenia's accession to EU and NATO.

In recent times, numerous high-level visits have highlighted the friendly relations, e.g. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was on 26 June 2001 on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of Slovenian independence in Ljubljana, Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse was on 25 to 27 March 2003 in Ljubljana, Celje and Koper, and Federal President Johannes Rau was in advance of the meeting of the Central and Eastern European Presidents of 29 May to 1 June 2002 in Bled, Ljubljana and Maribor. Since Slovenia's accession to NATO and EU in the spring of 2004, the partnership between the two countries has reached a new level. More highlights of these two nations diplomatic relations include the visit of the CSU group in the German Bundestag with the Federal Economics Minister Glos and Federal Agriculture Minister Seehofer on 11 July 2006 in Ljubljana and the participation of Chancellor Angela Merkel at the official ceremony of the Slovenian government to adopt the euro on 15 January 2007 in the Slovenian capital. But issue of Ethnic German minority (Volk Aus Schweiz and Bairisch Sprachraum, "Jodlers") still remaining unresolved till today and is marked with human rights violations to that ethnic German minorities in Lower Styria and Carniola from both states.

See also

• Foreign relations of Germany
• Foreign relations of Slovenia

External links

• German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Slovenia
• German embassy in Ljubljana (in German and Slovenian only)
• German and Slovenian only)