Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič Holds Talks with Serbian President Boris Tadic

The President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič met his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic.

The two presidents discussed bilateral relations and the need of further development of mutual cooperation. They also discussed the issue of national minorities, agreeing that the situation in both countries is good but both minorities still need support from their home countries. National minorities are one of the top priority issues for Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Ivan Gašparovič thanked Tadic for his concern and care for the Slovak minority living in Serbia. Since Slovakia has already joined the EU and NATO and Serbia wishes to follow suit, Boris Tadic sees considerable room for mutual communication and cooperation in this area.

Gašparovič and Tadic paid particular attention to the solution of the Kosovo issue. Slovak President noted that Kosovo was now not only a Serbian but rather a global problem. He reiterated that the National Council of the Slovak Republic had adopted a standpoint to the Serbia-Kosovo issue which, according to the Slovak President, reflected the official opinion of the Slovak Republic. “As regards a UN Security Council decision, be it in the form of a veto or adopted declaration, I think that there is no decision at this moment which would satisfy both sides. There is no decision that would answer all conditions and requirements put forward by individual parties. Therefore a compromise solution must be sought. What that compromise solution would look like, I dare not say today,” the Slovak President said.

Boris Tadic said independent Kosovo was inadmissible for Serbia. Serbia seeks to protect its integrity and Ahtisaari plan grants fewer rights to Kosovo Serbs than to Albanians. If Kosovo won independence, it would be a precedent not only for the Balkan region but for all crisis zones around the world. Serbia does and will support a peaceful solution to this issue and believes that it should be sought around the negotiation table. Tadic stressed that Serbia did not want to and could not support the split of its own land.