Following his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Janez Drnovšek met Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the presidents of Georgia and Slovakia, and the Albanian prime minister
UN - New York, USA, 09/21/2004 | press release
Following his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Janez Drnovšek held bilateral talks with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič, Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In an afternoon meeting, Mr Annan first highlighted the significance of Slovenia’s presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe next year and advocated further strengthening of good cooperation between the UN and OSCE. President Drnovšek said that during Slovenia's presidency it would actively cooperate with the UN in seeking solutions to some topical issues concerning security and stability in various parts of Europe, with an emphasis on the unstable situation in Kosovo. The Secretary-General and the Slovenian President agreed that efforts should be undertaken to settle the issue of Kosovo, which requires international attention. They also touched upon the issue of Iraq, and Mr Annan expressed his expectation that Slovenia would contribute to the protection of the UN staff in Iraq.
The Slovenian side expressed its intention to financially support the setting up of a force for the protection of UN personnel. They also discussed institutional reforms at the United Nations. Mr Drnovšek expressed his full support for Mr Annan's endeavours to reform the organisation and pointed out that Slovenia awaited with interest the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change at the end of the year. Slovenia was prepared for constructive cooperation in this respect, added Mr Drnovšek. Mr Annan concluded by saying that the changes at the United Nations offer an opportunity to strengthen the organisation and help it perform its mission more effectively.
President Drnovšek also met the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, who briefed him on the situation in Georgia. In view of Slovenia’s presidency of the OSCE, he expressed his expectations that the organisation will assume an active role in stabilizing the region and consolidating Georgia’s independence and integrity. Bilateral cooperation was also discussed, and invitations to visit Georgia and Slovenia exchanged.
The Slovak President, Ivan Gašparovič, informed Mr Drnovšek of Slovakia's preparations for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2006/2007. He also thanked Slovenia for sharing experience about the presidency of the Security Council. The two presidents assessed bilateral cooperation as very good and supported closer cooperation between the countries through the European Union. Mr Drnovšek once again extended his invitation for Mr Gašparovič to visit Slovenia.
The Prime Minister of Albania, Fatos Nano, first thanked Mr Drnovšek for Slovenia’s attention and increasing responsibility for the stability and development of countries in South Eastern Europe. He expects the European Union to adopt a more comprehensive approach to the region of South Eastern Europe. Mr Nano presented the reforms of the Albanian government in order to meet European standards and expressed support for the simultaneous approach of the countries in this region to the European Union. He concluded by stressing the significance of cooperation between countries in the region, enabling them to achieve greater openness and better coordinate their positions in approaching the European Union.