For a few hours in 2001, Slovenia became the center of the media world; on June 16 of that year, the recently elected presidents of the United States and Russia met for the first time at Brdo Castle – and George W. Bush famously caught a glimpse into Vladimir Putin’s soul.

The announcement caught most Slovenians by surprise: In the late spring of 2001, the White House and the Kremlin announced that the town of Brdo, about 30 kilometers north of Ljubljana, would become the site for the first meeting between Presidents Bush and Putin. The venue, with its extensive political pedigree, was an inspired choice: Before World War II, it served as a residence of the Yugoslav royal family, and in Communist times, it was a favored retreat of President Tito.

As the event approached, the world’s media descended into Slovenia. On June 16, 2001, journalists from around the world headed to Brdo, where they reported on the historic summit.

The meeting between the two presidents was largely symbolic. The two leaders discussed topics such as nuclear weapons, missile defense, rogue regimes, and Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization. The territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia were also on the agenda, long before Russia’s actions in those countries dominated the world’s headlines.

No earthshattering agreements were made, however, and the summit is now best remembered for Bush’s off-the-cuff statement that he looked Putin in the eye and was “able to get a sense of his soul.” In the coming years, when relations between the two Cold War-era superpowers soured, the U.S. president’s remark was frequently brought up as an example of his administration’s naiveté about Putin. Bush’s praise of Slovenia’s beauty undoubtedly scored him some political points, but the summit quickly faded from public memory, especially after the events of 9/11 focused the world’s attention on the Middle East.

The summit was not the first high profile event held on the territory of modern-day Slovenia. For a few months in 1821, heads of state from around Europe briefly made Ljubljana the center of international politics and diplomacy. Between January and May of that year, the city hosted the second congress of the Holy Alliance. Some 630 prominent guests took part in the congress, which was headed by Austrian Foreign Minister Klemens von Metternich. However, for the next two centuries, Ljubljana found itself on the periphery of world diplomacy – first as a provincial Austrian town and then as an equally insignificant city in Yugoslavia. It was Slovenia’s independence that finally put the country on the diplomatic map. In 1999 Bill Clinton made history when he became the first U.S. president to visit the country.

The Bush-Putin summit was also not the last international gathering in Slovenian history. In 2008, Bush returned to Brdo Castle for an EU-U.S. summit, once again giving Slovenia its 15 minutes of international fame.