President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Tuesday described Slovenia's relations with its neighbors as "best ever" and expressed a wish for peace and a constructive dialogue in Europe and the world.

Since gaining independent and diplomatic recognition, Slovenia has been advocating a peaceful resolution of all disputes, international cooperation and multilateralism, and it has many friends and not one enemy in the world, Pahor told foreign diplomats accredited in Slovenia at a traditional reception at the turn of the year in Brdo pri Kranju.

Slovenia has a good international standing and, as a member of the EU and NATO, it advocates and wants honest relations, respect and understanding with Russia and China, he said, “although they are not our political and military allies.”

Slovenia has never had such good relations with its four neighbors as in the past year, and the relations “should be built” on that, Pahor said.

As for the relations with Croatia, Pahor said he was pleased with both governments’ efforts to regulate all outstanding issues, including the fishing regime in the Adriatic, but “on the key condition that the arbitration tribunal’s award on the border is honored.”

Jansa, too, said the relations with the neighbors had never been better. “We are glad that there is strong understanding, solidarity and an intensive dialogue between us, and cooperation in many areas.”

The Slovenian government will continue to pay special attention to Central Europe as “a natural cultural-historical” region of which Slovenia is part, Jansa said, calling Slovenia’s Council of the EU presidency in the second half of last year successful.

Pahor said he was most worried about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “especially because of the open aspirations to change the borders.”