President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić Pays an Official Visit to the Slovak Republic

Tomislav Nikolić, the President of the Republic of Serbia, arrived in Slovakia for an official visit at the invitation of the Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič. After a welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, both presidents held bilateral talks.

“I am sincerely pleased to be able to meet the President of the Republic of Serbia, with one of the reasons being that Serbs and Slovaks share a common past and have always been helping each other,” the Slovak President said during the meeting.

Nikolić thanked the Slovak head of state for the opportunity to visit Slovakia and be his guest. At a press conference following the meeting, he said that “both of our countries found themselves amidst the economic crisis for which they bear no responsibility; Slovakia is doing well in Europe even during the crisis while Serbia is also trying to fight it, and I believe we will overcome it also in cooperation with other countries of the world.”

Gašparovič described his meeting with the President of Serbia as very open and constructive. “We discussed the questions of economic and trade cooperation. The volume of trade exchange, which is currently approaching the €500 million mark, is not satisfactory and we must work together towards achieving higher figures. We have identified several companies that are active in Serbia and expect certain assistance from the Serbian government,” the Slovak President said. “On the other hand, I am truly happy that Serbia remains one of the priorities of the Slovak development assistance. More than one hundred projects have been supported in Serbia, making the country the biggest beneficiary,” Ivan Gašparovič emphasised.

Nikolić added a few details concerning their discussion on Slovakia’s investments in Serbia. He said there were projects with some delay and projects that have not been completed yet. Serbian President recalled that his country would do its best to remove all obstacles hindering these investments. “Serbia offers Slovakia its opportunities for cooperation with eastern countries, in particular the market of the Russian Federation,” said Nikolić.

In addition to tackling economic issues, both heads of state discussed Serbia’s integration with the European Union. According to the Slovak President, Serbia has made considerable progress in the accession talks since the formation of the new Cabinet and Nikolić’s appointment as president. “Slovakia still supports those Balkan countries which want to join the EU and opposes the introduction of stricter conditions for EU entry; however, it is necessary to thoroughly comply with the criteria that have already been set,” Ivan Gašparovič added.

The presidents also touched upon the Kosovo issue. “I gave Mr President my assurances that Slovakia was not changing its stance arising from international law. On the other hand, we also said that Kosovo was part of the Balkans, with its population comprising both Serbs and Albanians, and that Slovakia would not turn away from helping Kosovo through social programs and the provision of economic assistance, and I believe that Serbia sees it this way as well,” the Slovak President said at the end of the meeting.

According to President Nikolić, “Slovakia is giving us two types of precious support. One of them is the support on our path to the EU and the other is the support for our agreement with the Albanians in the territory of Kosovo.”

Both politicians discussed the situation of minorities. "I envy Serbia the Slovak minority, one that is loyal to its state while preserving all of its traditions – cultural and societal,” Gašparovič said. His counterpart emphasised that Serbia was proud of Slovaks. “Our Constitution follows a slightly different concept and enshrines the collective rights of minorities which exceed even the highest criteria of the EU,” Nikolić noted.

At the end of their meeting, the President of Serbia wished Slovakia many successful years of progress and said that in case Serbia joins Slovakia within the framework of the EU, “then you will be able to proudly say that you supported a good country and a good nation.”

During his visit to Bratislava, Nikolić awarded the Slovak President with the Order of the Republic of Serbia for his personal contribution to the development of bilateral relations between both countries.

In the presence of both heads of state, the heads of diplomacy Miroslav Lajčák and Ivan Mrkić signed a bilateral “Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Serbia on the international passenger and freight road transport”.