Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar inaugurated Israel’s first-ever embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday, marking a historic milestone as relations between the two countries improve under Slovenia’s new right-wing government.

Relations had deteriorated significantly under former Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, whose government adopted a hostile approach toward Israel, recognized a Palestinian state earlier this year and refused to allow an Israir flight to land in the country.

The relationship began shifting following the election of right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party leader Janez Janša as prime minister in May.

Janša is considered a strong supporter of Israel, an admirer of President Trump and a close ally of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He has publicly backed the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran and previously described recognition of a Palestinian state as “support for terrorism.”

Janša has also pledged to relocate Slovenia’s embassy in Israel to Yerushalayim.

Slovenia could now emerge as one of Israel’s strongest allies within the European Union, joining Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in opposing anti-Israel measures promoted by other European governments.

However, Ljubljana has not yet announced its position on sanctions currently under consideration by the European Union. Questions also remain over how Janša’s government would respond to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, as Slovenia is an ICC member.

Israel was among the first countries to recognize Slovenia following its declaration of independence, and the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.

Slovenia opened an embassy in Israel in 1994, while Israel had until now maintained diplomatic relations through a nonresident ambassador.

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