Navigating Diplomacy: An Overview of India-Slovenia Bilateral Relations

Slovenia became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991. On 11 May 1992, India became one of the first countries to recognise Slovenia as an independent country. Since then, India-Slovenia bilateral relations have been cordial. They have shared values and common ground for cooperation and partnership. The relationship between both countries functions on multiple levels. 

Slovenia-India Bilateral Relations and Diplomacy

The diplomatic relations were strengthened in 2002 with the opening of the Slovenian Embassy in New Delhi, India, which was led by Chargé d'Affaires. In 2007, India was approved for opening its resident mission in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Later on, in September 2009, the resident mission in Slovenia and Chargé d'Affaires in India was promoted to Ambassador level. Slovenia established its accreditation in Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh through its embassy in India. It also has an Honorary Consul in four different cities in India ( Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore). 

Official Visits

The first official visit of Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel to India in 1992 to get support for membership in the United Nations and a guest membership in the Non-Aligned Movement marked the beginning of India-Slovenia relations. The latest visit in September 2019 of India's President Ram Nath Kovind was the first-ever official visit to Slovenia. 

Earlier, former Lok Sabha speaker Smt. Meira Kumar and Dr Milan Brglez, President of the National Assembly, led a Parliamentary delegation in May 2013 and November 2015, respectively. 

MOS(EA), General Vijay Kumar Singh and Shri MJ Akbar visited the Bled Strategic Forum in August 2014 and September 2017, respectively. 

In December 2019, the Foreign Ministers of both countries met each other in Rome during the Mediterranean Dialogue. Dr Anže Logar and Dr S. Jaishankar continued their dialogue through a virtual meeting in June 2020. The pandemic prevented further official minister visits to both countries. 

Economic Cooperation

India is the second most important Asian trading partner of Slovenia. As of 2019, India exports EUR 250.61 million to Slovenia and imports EUR 110.64 million from Slovenia. Many commodities and surplus items are constantly traded between the two countries. Items such as pharmaceutical products, organic chemicals, mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation, coffee, tea, and spices, machines regarding electronics and parts of certain machines, and other substances such as plaster, cement, asbestos, mica etc. are imported from India. Items exported from Slovenia to India are iron and steel, electric appliances, paper pulp, aircraft, wood, rubber etc. 

Top 10 India’s commodities exported to Slovenia FY 23-24

Foreign Direct Investment

The growing Indian investment in Slovenia is particularly in IT, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. Slovenian investments in India are still relatively small.

India to Slovenia: $3.8 million (as of March 2023)

Slovenia to India: $12.2 million (as of March 2023)

Science and Innovation

In 2019, an agreement was signed on the Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology of India and the Ministry of Science and Sport of Slovenia for 2020-2022. The growth of science and the promotion of innovation is constant. The enlarged vision is to facilitate health facilities to share knowledge on medicine and biotechnology. The resources for urban planning and infrastructure designs for smart cities are being supplied. New communication and artificial intelligence technology are also shared to encourage these fields in both countries. 

Culture Recognition

Slovenia has a small community of Indians, but they have helped to encourage the cultural recognition of each other as traditional countries. The Indian community in Slovenia is around 2,000 people, whereas the Slovenian community in India is around 400.

Ayurveda is a recognised traditional practice in Slovenia. The Indian embassy in Slovenia runs an AYUSH Information Centre to disseminate knowledge about Indian medicines and Yoga. In 2013, an agreement was signed on a short-stay visa waiver for holders of Diplomatic Passports. Slovenian Universities have increased the scholarships offered to Indian Students admitted to bachelor's and master's degree courses. Slovenia's beautiful landscape provides South Indian films with scenic shots. This increasing student exchange rate is a step towards understanding each other's culture. 

In 2021, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Nova University, Ljubljana, collaborated to establish the India Study Center. In September  2021, at Nova University in Ljubljana, a consent paper was signed regarding the establishment of the India Studies Center. This document was part of the bilateral cultural relations between Slovenia and India.

For the 2024–2025 academic year, the Lata Mangeshkar Dance and Music Scholarship Scheme is offering 100 ICCR scholarship slots worldwide. Through the ICCR's A2A scholarship portal, interested international students can apply online for the academic year 2024–25 between February 20 and April 30, 2024.

In December 2023, The Embassy of India, Slovenia announced online weekly classes of Performing Arts (Kathak, Bharatnatyam, and Odissi) to be conducted by the ICCR in co-operation with Routes2Roots, an organisation working on digital learning of performing arts and Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India) to enhance knowledge of the mentioned Indian traditional dance forms remotely. Certificates will be issued upon successful completion of the course after one year.

Conclusion

India's developing relations with the European Union make it a crucial partner of Slovenia. Both countries have a shared mind for fostering democracy, enhancing human rights, and tackling international issues. They both see eye to eye when it comes to sustainable development. India was at the forefront of supplying and sending aid, such as medical appliances, to Slovenia during the 2020 Pandemic. The frequent political exchange and economic dynamics have developed the relations of both countries.