Slovenia expects a lot from the agreement that is expected to enter into force in 2017. The country supports the negotiations with Japan and would like to see the deal wrapped up as soon as possible, Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti said.

Cantarutti hopes that all disagreements, primarily regarding the automotive industry, will be sorted out. Slovenia is very interested in the sector, he said, adding that the Slovenian automotive industry was currently strongly dependent on Germany.

The state secretary noted that trade in goods between Japan and Slovenia was modest and that there were many opportunities for it to improve on the current EUR 100m a year. The agreement is not expected to bring major changes in this respect, because this is a long-term process, he added.

Stanislav Raščan, the head of the strategic studies sector at the Foreign Ministry, stressed that Slovenia was not trying to achieve massive imports and exports with Japan, but specific cooperation, primarily in high-tech.

Slovenia also wants investments from Japan that would bring high added value jobs, he added.