Topical multicultural issues, the Bled Strategic Forum, to be held in early September, and cultural and science diplomacy in relation to business diplomacy will also be discussed, the Foreign Ministry said as it announced the traditional event on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and President Borut Pahor will address the heads of diplomatic missions and consulates today and Prime Minister Miro Cerar tomorrow. The addresses will be open to the public, while the other meetings will be held behind closed doors.

The annual get-together is an opportunity for in-depth debates on topical issues concerning the Slovenian foreign policy as well as global challenges where diplomats exchange views and experience.

As Croatia continues to ignore the arbitration ruling on the Slovenia-Croatia border, while Slovenia started implementing it on 30 December, strained relations with the neighbour are expected to feature prominently at the meetings.

At last year's consultation, the Slovenian officials identified migrations, security, European policy and relations with Croatia as the priorities of Slovenia's foreign policy in 2017.

Erjavec said the expected award of the arbitral tribunal, which was then delivered on 29 June, would be a major challenge of the year. "I hope we'll respond successfully to this challenge too, to overcome for ever a dispute that is a burden to both countries."

Meanwhile, Pahor said that a maximum effort should be put into relations with Croatia as the implementation of the tribunal's ruling was expected to be a demanding project, or else the border dispute could completely paralyse Slovenia's domestic and foreign policy ambitions.