Year 2006

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Latvian President Paying Official Visit to the Slovak Republic

July 6, 2006

President of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike Freiberga with her husband arrived for an official visit to the Slovak Republic.

During bilateral talks, President Ivan Gašparovič acknowledged the good cooperation between the two countries in the international organizations – EU, NATO, or UNO. He also acknowledged the intensification of the business cooperation, which has doubled since 2000. The successful development of the business cooperation is undoubtedly also a result of organizing business forums, as the one held during the last-year visit of President Gašparovič to Riga or another one held during the official visit of the Latvian President to Slovakia. Vaira Vike Freiberga congratulated on Slovak economic reform successes as well as successes achieved in the foreign policy. Their talks dealt also with future steps of the new Slovak Government.

President Ivan Gašparovič assured his Latvian counterpart that the priorities of the Slovak foreign policy would not be changed either after the new government takes over. He expressed his conviction that the person of new Foreign Minister Ján Kubiš can be seen as a guarantee thereof. Their talks included also the issues related to the future of the Treaty on Constitution for Europe. President Ivan Gašparovič supports a discussion about the new document which would replace the unsuccessful “Euro-constitution” and could serve as a basis for further functioning and extension of Europe. In this connection, the Latvian partner said the national interests would have to be taken into consideration as well. Nevertheless, she clearly agreed with the opinion of an inevitable common energy policy of the EU and a need of good neighbours’ cooperation.

She expressed her satisfaction with identical priorities of both countries in the case of the Ukraine, while it is an interest of Latvia to help Moldavia and Belarus. The President of the Slovak Republic supported the Latvian President in this area and expressed his hope that also through a good neighbours’ policy these countries would be helped in their integrating into the Euro-Atlantic structures. The discussion of the Presidents touched also the issues of the Latvian-Russian relations, which should, according to the opinion of the Slovak President, be based on the foreign policy of the EU.

The President of the Slovak Republic interested in the opinion of his Latvian counterpart Freiberga regarding the planned withdrawal of Slovak soldiers from Iraq, as it was advised by the new Slovak Prime Minister. President Ivan Gašparovič believes that the withdrawal of the armed forces from Iraq should be coordinated within the coalition of international forces. Moreover, President Ivan Gašparovič said that it would be desirable to initiate a meeting of leaders of the international coalition countries to discuss the future of armies deployed in Iraq.

A non-coordinated, independent withdrawal of particular contingents from Iraq, as the Slovak President said, would result in uncertainty not only in Iraq itself but also in particular countries of the coalition. President Freiberga supported this opinion of the Slovak President.

During the talks, President Ivan Gašparovič expressed a clearly support of the Slovak Republic for Croatia’s, Bulgaria’s and Romania’s entries into the EU. The programme of the official visit of the Latvian President to Slovakia included also the official opening of the Economic Forum. President Freiberg met also with Prime Minister Róbert Fico and Bratislava Mayor Andrej Ďurkovský. In Banská Bystrica she met with the head of the Banská Bystrica Region Self-Government Milan Murgaš. Finally, she attended the official opening of the 41st Folklore Festival Under Poľana in Detva too.

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