(Photo:Global Times)

Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico resigned earlier this month, under pressure from the opposition for his handling of a scandal over the killing of a journalist investigating political corruption. Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar quit March 14 after a court annulled the result of a referendum in the latest blow to his crisis-hit government, months ahead of planned elections. The two former prime ministers have drawn worldwide attention toward the two Slavic nations. 
Slovakia and Slovenia are two young countries in Central and Eastern Europe. They not only have similar country names, national flags, emblems and religious beliefs, but they have also joined the EU, NATO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Eurozone and the Schengen Area. 
The Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic peacefully went their ways after January 1, 1993. On June 25, 1991, Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country. The bloody break-up of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s has left some unresolved historical issues among the countries that split from it. Border disputes are a long-standing issue between Slovenia and Croatia.
Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordering Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. Its territory spans about 49,000 square kilometers and is home to about 5.44 million people. Slovenia is located in South Central Europe and borders Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. It covers more than 20,000 square kilometers and had a population of 2.06 million in 2015.
As to their political systems, the two countries are parliamentary democratic republics with separation of legislature, executive and judiciary. The National Assembly in Slovenia and the National Council in Slovakia, the highest legislative bodies in the two states, are unicameral. 
As for economic growth, Slovenian GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards amounted to 83 percent of the EU-28 average in 2016 and Slovakian was 77 percent. 
On the diplomatic front, the two countries prioritized developing friendly ties with their neighbors, promoting regional cooperation and playing a positive role in the EU. Slovakia joined the Visegrad Group, a cultural and political alliance in Central Europe. Slovenia participated as a member of the South East European Cooperation Process meeting. The two countries also participated in The Three Seas Initiative that included 10 other EU member states between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas.
Slovenia became the rotating president of the EU in the first half of 2008 and won positive feedback from other EU states for its excellent communication and coordinating abilities. Slovakia managed the EU presidency in the second half of 2016 and beefed up efforts at consensus and agreements among EU countries. 
The two countries maintain a rapport with China, despite differences of political system, development path, history and culture. 
Both joined China-proposed Belt and Road initiative among 16 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) in the China-CEEC 16+1 cooperation mechanism.
China inked Belt and Road initiative memorandums of understanding with Slovakia in 2015 and Slovenia 2017. Within the 16+1 framework, Slovenia led efforts to establish a China-CEEC coordination mechanism for forestry cooperation. 
In 2016, the China-CEEC Virtual Technology Transfer Center was established in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. The first trial freight train from the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian arrived at the cargo port in Bratislava on November 13, after traveling 10,537 kilometers over 17 days.
The two countries have relatively different focal points in developing ties with China. Slovakia strives to cooperate with China in business, investment, infrastructure, innovation and technology, while Slovenia focuses on business, forestry, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and digital development.