Both Slovenia and Slovakia wish to be equal partners within the EU
Bratislava, Slovakia, 10/14/2003 | press release
After the talks held during the official visit of President Drnovšek to the Slovak Republic The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, is paying a two-day official visit to Slovakia, at the invitation of the Slovak President Rudolf Schuster. After a reception with military honours, Dr Drnovšek and Mr Schuster first planted a chestnut tree in front of the Presidential Palace, as is customary for highest-level visits. In the introduction to their talks, the presidents assessed the bilateral relations between the two countries, which have traditionally been friendly and positive. The Slovak President noted that Slovakia, too, is often mistaken for Slovenia, which merely points to our similarities and affinities. The Slovene President responded that during the last years, the two countries had followed a similar path, on which they have collaborated and helped each other. He expressed his belief that they would continue to do so - to the same or even greater extent - as members of the European Union, in which they will no doubt pursue similar interests. Dr Drnovšek also mentioned the fact that in 2005, the OSCE presidency will be held by Slovenia, to be followed by Slovakia; this, again, will offer considerable opportunities for the exchange of information and enhanced cooperation.
President Schuster then presented the Slovak position on the draft European Constitution, which was another process in which Slovenia and Slovakia have worked closely together during its preparatory phase. He said that the results offered a good basis for the intergovernmental conference, and expressed the aspiration that each country have one commissioner.
President Drnovšek followed up by saying that Slovenia advocated the strengthening of all European institutions in a manner that would guarantee their democratic, efficient and balanced operation. "We wish that the new European Constitution be adopted as soon as possible. We would like to preserve the permanent Commissioner, or to ensure rotation of commissioners, and also wish to better determine the role of some fundamental institutions. Slovenia prefers to maintain the voting system as it was agreed in Nice", said Dr Drnovšek. When speaking about collaboration within NATO, the two statesmen agreed that NATO represented a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic cooperation and stability.
President Schuster furthermore expressed Slovakia’s readiness to support Slovene candidacies in international organisations, and presented his plans for the role to be played by the Visegrad Group. He said that the V4 is not to be expanded, but that it would be most desirable to consolidate the cooperation of V4 members with other countries, since the cooperation of small and medium-sized EU members would be extremely valuable. Both presidents welcomed the increase in the exchange of goods between Slovenia and Slovakia, and undertook to promote the further strengthening of the growing economic cooperation. In conclusion, they touched on the Slovene initiative to establish the Forum of Slavic Cultures, which the Slovak President deemed extremely interesting, and expressed the readiness of his country to participate.
After the talks were concluded, President Drnovšek gave the following assessment (unauthorised record): "As Prime Minister, I placed much attention on the strengthening of our relations. During the last ten years, representatives of both countries met on several occasions to exchange the experience our two countries had gained in the rapprochement with the Euro-Atlantic institutions. Our bilateral relations have been well developed, and I can claim that there are no problems or unresolved issues between us. Our two countries have much in common, we are similar in many ways, and I believe that we will have frequent opportunities to work together also in the future, as members of the EU and NATO. Now, a new era is starting, in which we will build a united Europe side by side. It is probably no coincidence that Slovakia and Slovenia are in the group of like-minded countries – countries that share similar views on the European Convention and the European Constitution. I am convinced that we will witness many such alliances also in the time to come. Both Slovakia and Slovenia wish to preserve their identity in the European Union, they intend to be equal partners, not to be marginalized. For this reason, we will probably often defend our positions together, and jointly seek for solutions to the further development of the European Union. I am also glad that, at a time when Europe has been experiencing an economic crisis, we have still managed to increase our mutual trade, which demonstrates positive dynamics, and I expect this trend to continue."
During the visit, Andrej Logar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ada Filip Slivnik, Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, together with representatives of the Slovak Government and the Slovak Post, signed the Executive Programme of Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Science and Culture between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Slovak Republic; as well as the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Slovak Republic on International Road Transport. The Presidents then exchanged high state decorations, the Order of the White Double Cross, 1st Class, of the Slovak Republic, and the Golden Honorary Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia.
In the afternoon, the Slovene President was also received by the Slovak Prime Minister, Mikulaš Dzurinda, who hosted a festive luncheon. In presenting the toast, the Slovak Prime Minister said that it was always a pleasure for him to meet again his friend and former colleague Dr Drnovšek, since they had jointly advocated the entry of their respective countries into the European Union and NATO. He expressed deep respect for the Slovene President, and described him as a statesman with great merits, not only for the successful path Slovenia has taken, but also for the stabilisation of the region. The Slovene President, in his toast, referred to the concerted efforts of both governments, and underlined the merits of the Slovak Government, which, during the past few years, has managed to make up for lost time and to build strong foundations, which will make it considerably easier for Slovakia to participate in the EU and NATO.