President of the Slovak Republic visits the Republic of Slovenia

President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gašparovič, and wife officially visited the Republic of Slovenia on 7 to 8 July. In the capital Ljubljana he was welcomed by President Janez Drnovšek who discussed bilateral issues as well as current European affairs with him. The politicians highlighted the extensive potential for cooperation between both our countries, especially at the regional V4 level or within the Baltic States union (B3) where there’s still room for greater promotion of the interests of the individual states within the European Union. The President of the Slovak Republic appreciated that Slovenia was among the first states to ratify the EU Constitutional Treaty and emphasized that, in spite of the certain failure of this Treaty, it is necessary to complete the ratification process in the EU. Both Presidents supported further EU enlargement whereby Ivan Gašparovič stressed that the Slovak Republic supports the integration of Bulgaria, Romania but also Croatia, which, in his view, is prepared to such an extent that the pre-accession negotiations could start right away.
President Ivan Gašparovič also talked about bilateral issues and the further development of cooperation within the European Union with the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, France Cukjati and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitrij Rupel.
The President of the Slovak Republic opened a business forum early on the second day of his stay in Ljubljana which was attended by the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Slovenia, Andrej Viziak and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Eva Šimková. Representatives of over twenty Slovak companies from the mechanical engineering, computer technology, timber, clothing or pharmaceutical industry and their potential Slovenian partners were also present. In his address Ivan Gašparovič expressed his delight at the good economic relations enjoyed with the host country. He appreciated the fact that Slovenia is the leader among the new EU Member States from Central and Eastern Europe in regard to the per capita GDP; the country also leads in many other economic indicators. As he further stated, Slovenia is ranked 18th in the trade turnover of Slovakia, however, this position can be improved. According to the President of the Slovak Republic, it is anticipated that in 2005 Slovak exports could grow by up to 30 to 40 per cent. We are making efforts to place more products with a higher added value on the Slovenian market. According to the President of the Slovak Republic, both our countries have the capacity to jointly take part in international and multi-national tenders, especially in the area of civil engineering. In Ivan Gašparovič’s view the Slovak Republic is interested in the increase in the usage of the Port of Koper; we can learn a lot from the operation of Slovenian small and medium-sized enterprises, the admirable development and presentation of its agro-tourism is a fine example. In reference to this Ivan Gašparovič also recalled the fact that Slovakia has ambitions of becoming an attractive tourist destination – we offer our mountains, spas and many historical and cultural monuments.
During this official visit the President of the Slovak Republic also opened the exhibition of the artist Zdeno Horecký in Ljubljana as well as making a visit to the coastal town of Piran, which is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Slovenia.