President Drnovšek receives the German foreign Minister Joschka Fischer
Ljubljana, 03/12/2003 | press release
Today, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Joschka Fischer, who is on a working visit to Slovenia.
At the very start of their talks, President Drnovšek and Foreign Minister Fischer expressed their shock at the tragic death of the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djinjić, and an act that has no place in the democratic world. President Drnovšek also spoke of his concern about the situation in Serbia, emphasising that he believes in the development of the Serbian nation towards democracy and European integration.
During their discussions, President Drnovšek and the German Foreign Minister focused on topical international issues, particularly the Iraq crisis. Foreign Minister Fischer emphasised the importance he attaches to long-term stability in the region, which is why he is striving for a peaceful solution to the crisis through the UN Security Council, as a military intervention would only further complicate the situation in the Middle East. In his opinion, it is the Palestinian issue which should be dealt with first.
The two also touched upon the issue of transatlantic co-operation and in connection with this the German Foreign Minister singled out the importance of partnership within the framework of NATO which, however, must depend also on a strong European component. Mr Fischer emphasised that Germany will never forget the American contribution towards the stability of Europe; the German stance, however, is that the position of the European countries, which took part in the drawing up of the letter signed by the ‘group of eight’, is not correct.
At the end of their meeting President Drnovšek and Foreign Minister Fischer also talked about the European enlargement process. The German Foreign Minister in relation to this acknowledged Slovenia’s contribution so far within the framework of the Convention and spoke in favour of the strengthening of the common European institutions which should ensure that the future European Union consisting of twenty five countries does not signify a weak Europe.