The trip is meant to help boost cooperation, especially in business, while views will also be exchange on developments in the region and the EU.Cerar is paying a return visit to the Czech Republic after Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka visited Slovenia in April 2015. It will be the first official visit by a Slovenian prime minister to the country since 1999.

Trade between the two countries has been growing and has been above EUR 1bn in the last four years, which makes the Czech Republic Slovenia's ninth biggest trade partner. There have also been a number of major direct Czech investments in Slovenia recently.

Thus Cerar will make a stop at the Škoda Auto digital lab, where he will open a business forum that will also be attended by Slovenian start-ups offering solutions in (e-)mobility, smart cities and networks and safe driving.

Cerar's delegation will include Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti and Culture Minister Tone Peršak, who will meet counterpart Daniel Herman to try to further expand the already extensive cooperation in culture.

Cerar will be received with military honours and address the press after a meeting with Sobotka. Meetings are also scheduled with Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, President Miloš Zeman and Senate President Milan Štech.

On Tuesday, Cerar will meet his Polish counterpart Beata Szydlo in Warsaw to discuss cooperation and developments in the region.

Poland is Slovenia's no. 7 partner in terms of trade, which amounted to more than EUR 1.4bn in 2015, Cerar's office pointed out.

Like Slovenia, both the Czech Republic and Poland are NATO members, but they are not members of the Euro Area. Another thing they share with Slovenia is that industry remains their country's biggest employer.