President Dr Drnovšek received the Greek Ambassador

Ljubljana, 01/21/2003 | press release

Today, the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Janez Drnovšek received the Greek Ambassador George Nicolaidis. During their conversation Ambassador Nicolaidis presented the priorities of the Greek Presidency of the European Union in the first half of this year. Among them are the enlargement, achieving the goals of the EU Lisbon Summit, immigration policy, the European convention, and the common foreign and security policy. Ambassador Nicolaidis particularly emphasised the importance Greece places on the signing of the Accession Treaty, which is to take place in Athens on 16 April 2003. One of the greatest challenges the Greek Presidency of the EU expects to face in the coming months, however, is the Iraq issue, where Greece urges to explore all possibilities for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

President Drnovšek described the presented priorities as being very important, in particular the intention of the Greek Presidency to keep to the Copenhagen roadmap for the enlargement. The anticipated signing of the Accession Treaty in Athens will represent a unique event, therefore it is only right for it to take place in such historic surroundings. At the same time it is also important to continue the work of the European Convention which is now entering the decisive phase, and to implement the Lisbon goals of improving the competitiveness of the European economy. During the talk, President Drnovšek also welcomed the decision of the Greek Presidency to pay special attention to the South-Eastern Europe and the relations with the Russian Federation. Furthermore, he expressed his hope that the Greek Presidency will commit itself to intensify the integration of the Balkan region into the EU.