Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič received Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on 11 June 2013 in Bratislava. At the meeting, Slovakia’s head of state expressed his delight to meet with the Romanian Prime Minister on the eve of the presidential summit where he would welcome his Romanian counterpart.
In the discussion, Ivan Gašparovič stated that Slovakia and Romania shared identical or very close views on numerous international issues. “Although our trade exchange has been on the rise recently, I am convinced that we should see to it that we step up the intensity of our commercial and economic relations,” the President said.
As Ivan Gašparovič added, Slovakia and Romania could cooperate more in the field of tourism. The President also spoke with the Prime Minister about the life of minorities in the two countries. “Even in these difficult economic and social times, I believe that Slovakia is fulfilling its commitments towards its citizens who are members of national minorities,” Ivan Gašparovič noted.
In his discussion with Slovakia’s head of state, the Romanian Prime Minister stated that the political situation in Romania had calmed down after the December elections. “The economic and political situation develops similarly as in Slovakia,” he said, calling the cooperation with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico ‘very good and friendly’.
In his discussion with the Romanian Prime Minister, Ivan Gašparovič also touched upon the current economic situation in the European Union. “The Slovak Republic wants to participate actively in tackling the crisis and wants to remain in the so-called ‘active core’. We support the concept whereby the European Central Bank should have the power to control national banks,” he emphasised.
