PRESIDENT KUCAN RECEIVES CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENCY OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
BERIZ BELKIC
At the 9th Meeting of Presidents of Central European States

Bled, 31 May 2002


Prior to the start of the Central European Summit meeting the President of the Republic, Milan Kucan, received the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Beriz Belkic. In their first bilateral meeting the two heads of state assessed relations between the countries as traditionally good and friendly. Chairman of the Presidency Belkic expressed particular thanks for the invitation to attend the summit and for the opportunity to partake in the Central European dialogue and in Central European multilateral affairs. The guest also expressed his satisfaction with the fact that good relations between the two countries are also demonstrated by the great interest shown by the Slovenian economy for the Bosnian market. Nevertheless the imbalance in trade, an illustration of the resourcefulness, ability and position of the Slovene economy, represents a problem that in the Chairman's view should be actively resolved through joint investments, greater exports of Bosnian goods to Slovenia and closer cooperation between the two chambers of commerce. The Chairman of the Presidency also thanked Slovenia for its involvement in the successful operation of the ITF International Trust Fund for Demining and Assistance to Mine Victims. Also on the agenda were visa policy and the Schengen border regime.

The interlocutors also exchanged their views on the role of the international community in appeasing the situation in the Balkans, particularly following the change of the high representative of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina. They agreed that a solid Bosnia-Herzegovina is an important guarantor of peace and stability in the region.