The current crisis should be taken as a lesson "which will take us into the future we wanted 25 years ago", Cerar told reporters in Ljubljana on Tuesday evening.

Slovenia embarked on the journey of independence with a great deal of optimism and potential, but then it strayed into a "phase of crisis", Cerar said, adding that this often happens to young societies and countries.

"We can mostly blame ourselves for this as well as our wrong decisions and actions," he said.

"The key is to take this crisis as a development phase which every country in the world has gone through and learn a lesson from it."

Now, Slovenians must be realists about the future development and optimists at the same time, according to Cerar. "We must look for solutions in these challenging times together," he added.

"I think we must foremost show it to the young generations that a better future is possible and we must not cry over the presence because it also offers many beautiful and good things."