OFFICIAL VISIT OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND, ALEKSANDER KWASNIEWSKI
Statement by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Milan Kucan

Ljubljana, 27 August 1996


At the present moment, Poland and Slovenia have a large number of common interests as well as very similar ambitions in relation to the internal development of their countries and their international roles. They also have similar problems with the realization of these ambitions. It is therefore understandable that our cooperation in recent years, and especially this year, has intensified considerably. This year alone we have signed six agreements, and if we add the three that we intend to sign on this occasion, we shall have signed nine. Many of our ministers and officials on all levels have met their counterparts from Poland this year, and I note with some satisfaction that the present occasion will be my fourth meeting with President Kwasniewski this year.

This all indicates that Slovenia and Poland are conscious of having a number of strategic interests in common and that it is necessary to maintain and intensify their political dialogue. The program for the visit of President Kwasniewski has been designed to make this possible. Both the intensity and the content of our cooperation demonstrate how well aware Slovenia is of the significance and role that Poland has objectively in Europe and in the world. Poland's successes in the processes of transition in themselves simultaneously illustrate the common success of all countries of the former politically-Eastern Europe. At the moment our cooperation is much more than simply the traditional bilateral cooperation of two favourably disposed and friendly countries who consequently have mutual interests. I am pleased that President Kwasniewski and his colleagues will have the opportunity to become more familiar with Slovenia and its successes.