ABSTRACT

Slovenia is one of the smallest of the new member states that joined the European Union in 2004 and its foreign policy priorities are understandably focused on its immediate neighbourhood, especially the Western Balkans. However, in recent years it has developed a positive and wide-ranging bilateral relationship with Russia and also become a fairly low-key but nevertheless significant actor with regard to EU-Russia policy. Unlike most of the other postcommunist member states, Slovenia's relations with Russia are almost entirely free of the painful historical legacy of the Soviet era and President Danilo Türk (2011) went so far as to say ‘we share a century-long mutual affection, cultural similarities and common experiences in all areas’. The strong sense of a shared Slavic cultural identity together with mutually important economic interests, especially involving the South Stream gas pipeline project, have provided firm foundations for a significant upgrading of the bilateral relationship in recent years. That this has clearly involved Russia being willing to invest considerable diplomatic efforts at the highest political level raises the question as to whether it has a long-term strategic vision of a Russia-friendly caucus of EU member states emerging in the Western Balkans which would offset the rather negative impact on EU-Russia relations of the accession of both the Visegrad and Baltic states.