The tiny Adriatic country can only accommodate up to 8,000 migrants a day, but has pledged to keep its borders open to refugees as long as its richer northern neighbors are still willing to let them in.
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Bus loads of migrants began arriving in Slovenia from Croatia for the first time Saturday.
Most of the refugees arriving in Slovenia are expected to be taken by pre-organised trains to refugee centres before many will move onto Austria or Germany.
Speaking after a meeting of the national security cabinet, Peter Szijjarto said that normal border checkpoints between the two countries would remain open, although inspections would be tightened.
A new border has been erected on the border with Croatia. Slovenia suspended rail traffic with Croatia.
However, experts fear that many will get stuck in Croatia, which is ill-prepared to provide for them in large numbers.
Slovenia is a member of the European Union and of the Schengen zone, meaning that the Hungarian-Slovenian border qualifies as an internal EU border.
Hungary said it shut the border with Croatia after European Union leaders failed to agree its plan to send a force to prevent migrants reaching Greece. Slovenia says it will allow in new groups after previous groups leave the country.
The Turkish coastguard recovered the bodies from the wooden boat, which had sailed from northwest Turkey’s seaside town of Ayvalik for the Greek island of Lesbos.
The flow has turned to Slovenia after Hungary sealed its border with Croatia for migrants shortly after midnight Friday.
Asked what would happen if Germany was to close its doors, Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić warned “it will be a lot of trouble for all countries and I can not predict what will happen in this situation”.
Hungary said it had reinstated border controls on its frontier with Slovenia, effectively suspending Europe’s Schengen system of passport-free travel though it said it was acting within the Schengen rules.
Thousands of refugees, many fleeing war-torn Syria, continue to make the perilous journey in the hope of settling in Europe.
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Despite the ensuing chaos in neighbouring countries Hungarian rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended his government’s decision to declare Hungary’s southern frontier with Croatia off-limits to arriving migrants.
