On 12-13 April, the president of the Slovenian Republic Danilo Türk and his wife came to Slovakia on an official visit.

Bilateral negotiations mainly revolved around the accelerating economic cooperation evidenced both by the growing number of Slovak companies doing business in Slovenia and Slovenian companies engaging in Slovakia.

The officials also discussed the possibility of joint investments in third countries, as well as regional cooperation options and the Danube Strategy.

The burning problems of the EU debt crisis were another topic. The presidents further talked about the global issues of high unemployment in the EU, in particular of young people. Both officials confirmed their interest in tackling this problem through the mobility of young people according to their education, professional focus and labour market needs in the individual countries of the Union.

Danilo Türk and Ivan Gašparovič confirmed their joint position in relation to the EU, maintaining that the Union needs to develop and expand further and that the euro should be a strong and reliable currency. Slovenia and Slovakia also agree on foreign policy and a joint course of action in multinational and transatlantic institutions.

President Ivan Gašparovič said: “I am glad to conclude that our economic cooperation is growing. It reached as much as EUR 650 million last year,” our President said to his Slovenian guest. He added that the hindrance lies in the area of mutual investments. “Slovenian investment in our country in 2010 stood at EUR 5.4 million, while Slovak investment in Slovenia reached as much as EUR 15.6 million,” Ivan Gašparovič pointed out.

According to President Gašparovič, Slovakia wishes to revive the 2007 Memorandum of Cooperation between our economy ministries.

The Slovenian President Danilo Türk confirmed the high standard of relations between our countries. He also stated that the Globsec international conference provides a great opportunity to present new views of the transatlantic and European policy.

As part of the agenda of the official visit, both Presidents participated in an economic forum. The presidential couples also visited the city of Banská Bystrica, where they laid wreaths at the memorial of the Slovak National Uprising.