 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, attended the ceremonial inauguration of the new President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr Ivo Josipoviĉ. The ceremony was also attended by the presidents of Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland and Slovakia.
President Türk held several bilateral meetings as part of his visit, with the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Fatmir Sejdiu, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr Gjorge Ivanov, and the newly inaugurated Croatian President Josipoviĉ. |
 President Türk and his counterpart from Kosovo discussed bilateral relations and the strengthening of economic co-operation between Slovenia and Kosovo. Dr Türk highlighted the importance of the European perspective for Kosovo and of finding practical solutions. In relation to the European Union, he placed a special emphasis on visa liberalisation. |
 During an extended discussion, President Ivanov briefed President Türk about developments concerning the issue of Macedonia’s name. President Türk expressed his concern over the lack of progress in resolving this issue and called for additional effort in this respect. Furthermore, he stressed that, alongside the endeavours of the UN Secretary-General’s envoy, Matthew Nimetz, Macedonia and Greece should develop an intensive bilateral dialogue and build confidence that is a precondition for a successful compromise solution. |
 The talks with Croatian President Josipoviĉ focused on bilateral relations between Slovenia and Croatia. The two presidents agreed that their first meeting was held in a good situation, with the two countries having recorded some progress in resolving certain key outstanding issues. In their opinion, any further development of relations must be based on mutual respect and must take into consideration the interests of the citizens of both countries to bring relations to a new level. They believe there are many opportunities for enhancing economic co-operation and for joint representation of Slovenian and Croatian companies on third markets. They also agreed to continue with contacts between Slovenia and Croatia at the highest level. In reply to President Türk’s invitation, President Josipoviĉ expressed his willingness to visit Slovenia very soon. |
 In his statement after the meeting, Dr Türk said that the beginning of President Josipoviĉ’s term-of-office implied a new phase in development of Croatia and its international role. “Croatia has accelerated its preparations to join the European Union. In his inauguration speech, President Josipoviĉ mentioned that there were many important tasks ahead of him in the domestic field concerning social and economic justice and the fight against corruption, as well as other related tasks. This development and the launch of a new phase are also important for Slovenia. We must also reflect on what kind of a new neighbour we are getting. This neighbour is turning into an interesting partner in terms of economic and political co-operation in the international arena. Co-operation, however, must be based on mutual respect and resolution of outstanding issues,” added the Slovenian President. |