Brglez said that consular diplomacy had become an indispensable element of Slovenia's diplomatic efforts.

The speaker, who is accompanied by a delegation of MPs, stressed that consular diplomacy represented an important upgrade of traditional diplomacy.

"This is particularly true for small countries like Slovenia, whose consulates are a key addition to the diplomatic network," he said, adding that consulates outside of capital cities were a catalyst of bilateral cooperation and an important force of informal diplomatic influence.

Brglez said he was happy that the consulate, which will be headed by honorary consul Lucia Nora Morariu, was being opened in a city which is considered an academic and cultural centre.

Cluj-Napoca is also known as one of the most important industrial and business centres in Romania, as a Romanian "technopolis", the speaker said, adding that there were numerous opportunities to improve the economic cooperation between Slovenia and Romania.

Brglez sees a lot of potential in IT, renewable energy sources, environmental protection, healthcare, agriculture, food industry, transport and tourism.

"There are plenty of opportunities, and the positive thing is that an increasing number of Slovenian companies see a large and promising market in Romania."

The speaker and the delegation featuring Tomaž Gantar of the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Franc Trček of the opposition United Left (ZL) also visited the Babes-Bolyai University, where Brglez delivered a lecture.

On Tuesday Brglez will visit the Romanian parliament and meet Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu.