Ivan Gašparovič, the President of the Slovak Republic, discussed the strengthening of the bilateral Slovak-Romanian relations and the cooperation of both countries in the European Union with the President of the Senate of Romania Mircea Geoană in Bucharest.

According to Gašparovič, there are downsides to the Lisbon Treaty, but he is convinced the EU needs this document to be able to function and take on new members. “It is good to see that we are able to cooperate at the regional level, which allows us – the smaller European countries – to win a better position within the EU,” Mr. Gašparovič said. Both representatives share identical views on EU enlargement. “Nobody was forcing us to become EU members, and therefore our commitment is to comply with the set requirements. But this is also the reason why these requirements must apply to all who want to join”, the Slovak head of state recalled.

Ivan Gašparovič also met with the representatives of both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. The President of the Chamber of Deputies Roberta Anastase is convinced that inter-parliamentary cooperation between both countries will be stepped up. According to Mr. Gašparovič, “this first meeting had already made it clear that visits are necessary, because it is the meetings of top officials that determine further cooperation.”

The President also touched upon the most pressing issue in Romania today – the governmental crisis. He believes that it is the Romanian Parliament that will ultimately help consolidate the political situation in Romania. In the future, according to Ivan Gašparovič, the EU will see a rise in the importance of regional groups, such as the Visegrad Four, through which the smaller Member States can pursue their interests in a united Europe.

At the end of his official visit to Romania, Ivan Gašparovič visited the Slovak expatriates living in Nová Huta (Şinteu) commune, Bihor county, in northern Romania. He was welcomed by several hundreds of Slovaks – the inhabitants of Şinteu and adjacent villages. The fact that this was the first-ever visit paid by a Slovak president to this location greatly contributed to an exciting atmosphere of the rally.

The President thanked the Slovak expatriates in Romania for keeping their former homeland, which their ancestors left more 200 years ago, in their hearts. He praised that these Slovaks managed to preserve their language, traditional culture and religion. “During the talks with Mr. President Traian Băsescu and other top officials of Romania, I was very pleased to hear that Slovaks in Romania rank among the most loyal citizens. It is a great honour for me to know that my expatriates are like this,” the Slovak President told a crowd of expatriates waving the Slovak flags.
The itinerary also included a visit to the remote village of Gemelčička, which Gašparovič had to cancel due to impassable road. However, he promised the expatriates that he would return to Romania to see them.

En route to Şinteu, Gašparovič stopped by in the city of Arad and held talks with Nicolae Iotcu, the Arad County Council Chairman; Calin Laurentiu Bibart, the Arad County Prefect; and Pavol Hlásnik, the Vice-Chairman of the Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs in Romania and the chairman for the Arad region. Afterwards, he visited the Honorary Consulate of the Slovak Republic in the city of Salonta, where he was received by the Slovak consul Miroslav Jablončík and other expatriates living in this city.