President Dr Drnovšek receives Hungarian President Dr Mádl
Ljubljana, 04/19/2005 | press release
Hungarian President Dr Ferenc Mádl is paying a two-day official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of Slovenian President Dr Janez Drnovšek. During their meeting the presidents assessed the relations between Slovenia and Hungary as good and pointed out that relations in the political, economic and cultural spheres have been intensifying. The two devoted considerable attention to the situation of minorities in Slovenia and Hungary and also touched on certain other issues connected with EU and NATO membership.
On this occasion the Presidents awarded each other the highest state decorations. President Dr Drnovšek decorated the Hungarian President with the Order for Extraordinary Services for his contribution to the overall development and strengthening of friendly relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Hungary, while President Dr Mádl presented the Order of Merit Grand Cross with Collar to the Slovenian President.
After the talks, the Slovenian President offered the following in his statement to the public (unedited record):
“Today we have received a visit from Mister Mádl, President of the Republic of Hungary. This visit is yet another opportunity to strengthen our outstanding friendly neighbouring relations. Since our gaining independence, affairs between Slovenia and Hungary have been developing in the best possible manner; we could say that our political cooperation has been very intensive the entire time. Our cooperation in striving to achieve our common goals, in particular membership in the European Union and NATO, has been very close and fruitful at all times. We are now embarking on a new era, when partnership between Slovenia and Hungary within the framework of the European Union will also be highly important and necessary. Such consultations and visits as have been established can greatly contribute towards ongoing permanent solutions on common issues in the European Union.
Bilateral economic relations have also been developing favourably, with mutual trade constantly on the rise. Relations are good also in other fields, such as culture. We also discussed the issue of transport infrastructure connecting us, with regard to which we hope to complete the freeway programme connecting Slovenia and Hungary as soon as possible, to modernise the railway lines and thus put in place all conditions for as good and undisturbed connections between Slovenia and Hungary as possible. This will also serve as a strong basis for cooperation in a number of fields, in particular the economic sphere.
This is also important for our minorities. This time we have rather extensively discussed the issue of minorities, of the Hungarian in Slovenia and the Slovenian in Hungary. For our part we have underlined certain issues: the issue of funding, above all of schools, preschools, as well as media, which should be accessible to the Slovenian minority in Hungary. Talks we held on those subjects indicated that those messages were received positively and constructively, and that we could expect open issues concerning the Slovenian minority in Hungary to be quickly solved and effectively. We are aware of the fact that our country must continue to take care of the Hungarian minority in Slovenia and that, in spite of having achieved a rather good minority protection and secured its representation in local and central governmental bodies, this minority lives in an economically disadvantaged area and that from the general economic perspective, the Hungarian minority, like the region, is not in the best situation. Naturally we shall push to find solutions to challenges by implementing regional development instruments and, being convinced that our government is well aware of this problem, shall continue to develop and maintain minority policy instruments already established in the past.”
To the question of a Hungarian journalist concerning common infrastructure projects between Slovenia and Hungary President Dr Drnovšek replied:
“Of course it is in Slovenia’s interest to complete those connections as soon as possible, to construct the freeway as soon as possible. There is considerable pressure exerted here in Slovenia by our citizens in that part of the country; therefore I am convinced that the Slovenian government will try to complete this project as soon as possible. So far we have been assured that the freeway should be completed by the end of 2008. Big projects and considerable financial resources are involved, but this is one of the priorities we have in common and I firmly believe that it will be completed in the shortest time possible. The same holds true for modernisation work on the railway lines, in connection with which we can expect, probably soon, new positions of the Slovenian government as regards the pace of the implementation of this project.”
In reply to the questions by an STA journalist regarding concrete measures taken with a view to solving the difficulties in connection with the implementation of the agreement on the provision of special rights of the Slovenian minority in Hungary and the Hungarian ethnic minority in Slovenia, and the date of the meeting of the bilateral commission, President Dr Drnovšek offered:
“We have discussed minority issues extensively and for our part, communicated still-fresh impressions from yesterday’s discussions with the representatives of the Slovenian minority in Hungary. One of the remarks was that the bilateral commission for minority issues has not met for quite some time, and it has therefore been agreed today that it will meet at the earliest possible date, in May. We have also been assured that some financial issues, that is the issue of financing schools and preschools, as well as the radio broadcasts for the Slovenian minority in Hungary, will be solved as quickly as possible. In view of this, I believe our talks were rather productive and, provided they are followed up by implementation, this will mean a considerable step forward.”