President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić arrived in Slovakia for a one-day farewell visit.
Following the bilateral talks, Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič thanked Mesić for his positive contribution to building bilateral Slovak-Croatian relations over the past ten years of his term as the head of Croatia.

Stjepan Mesić noted the excellent level of relations between the two countries, adding that their quality was continuously improving. Mesić thanked Slovakia for its support to Croatia’s entry to NATO, as well as for the intensive support to his country’s EU integration efforts.
“You have convinced me that small countries have to cooperate and that they can win more through such cooperation,” the Croatian President said. In his opinion, it is important for the Western Balkan countries to focus their attention on European structures.

The two officials also touched upon the issue of bilateral trade cooperation where, they said, large unutilised potential still existed. Ivan Gašparovič appreciated Croatia’s achievements in its efforts to become an EU member. “I am sure that the sooner Croatia joins the EU, the better it will be for the entire South Eastern Europe,” he said. He also believes that 2010 will be a target year for the accomplishment of Croatian integration ambitions. The Slovak President said that Slovakia “will do anything in order to help the Republic of Croatia to become an EU member”.

The talks also focused on energy issues, in particular diversification of gas supply to Slovakia and the Adria LNG terminal. Among the topics discussed by the two top officials were also such global challenges as the economic crisis and climate change.
The two presidents appreciated the level of attention their countries paid to minorities living in their territories. President Gašparovič acknowledged the quality of cultural and educational exchange and the functioning system of scholarships.