Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič meets Polish President Lech Kaczyński in the Orava Region

The President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič and the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński met in Námestovo, Northern Slovakia, where they held talks with the officials of the local state administration, local government, members of the town council, business people and citizens.

Ivan Gašparovič explained the choice of the Upper Orava region as the venue for his and the Polish President’s visit as follows: “Our proximity, both in mentality and history, as well as in the geographical regions and the people is the reason behind it.” Another reason was the exceptional cooperation between both countries and regions, Gašparovič explained, and he praised highly the potential for solidarity and assistance resulting from this.

He then highlighted the 136 joint projects of cross-border cooperation for which the European Union has allocated an amount of more than EUR 180 million. “As a result, both sides are interested in facilitating the implementation of these projects in both countries,” he said, adding that “where Presidents help each other, I believe the people of both countries will help each other as well.”

The Slovak President therefore underlined the importance of mutual and meaningful communication. “As a token of respect and merit for the development of mutual cooperation, state officials typically award state decorations to each other; however, they do so only on very official occasions,” Ivan Gašparovič said. He decided to award the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross, Slovakia’s highest decoration, to the President of Poland in Námestovo, and explained that his doing so at a public event was aimed at stressing the quality of mutual cooperation in the interest of, and for the benefit of the citizens.

Lech Kaczyński commended Ivan Gašparovič for his achievements because, as he pointed out, it was the Slovak President who played the key role in fostering intensive and amicable dialogue between both countries after the fall of Communism. In turn, the Polish President awarded Ivan Gašparovič with the Order of the White Eagle, the highest decoration in the Republic of Poland.

During their working meeting both presidents discussed, amongst other things: assistance to the regions; the improvement of cross-border cooperation and the need for solidarity; as well as the role of the euro amidst the global economic crisis.

The President of Poland Lech Kaczyński confirmed Gašparovič’s statement regarding the need for more intensive spending of EU funds at the regional level, which particularly holds true during a crisis. In his opinion, cross-border cooperation is very important for the Orava region in Slovakia and two Polish regions. “Solidarity within the European Union is a matter for all the states.
Should Europe be referred to as a group of ‘equal’ and ‘more equal’ ones, it may well happen that the European Union, albeit seen as a successful historical experiment, will ultimately fail.”
At the end of their working day both presidents met in the Polish municipality of Jablonka, which they chose due to it being the centre of the Slovak minority, for discussions with the local people