 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today arrived in Kosovo on an official visit. There he was received by the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Fatmir Sejdiu, who expressed his gratitude to Dr Türk for Slovenia's previous support of Kosovo, not only politically, but also in economic and military areas. In his reply President Türk emphasised that Slovenia has always advocated just solutions for the people of Kosovo, demonstrating this attitude in various ways.
The Kosovar President said that it is above all the people of Kosovo who, by acting in a mature and responsible manner, can claim credit for the peaceful development of Kosovo as an independent state. He outlined the process of establishing Kosovar institutions and the transfer of responsibilities from international bodies. Dr Sejdiu also highlighted the fact that thus far Kosovo has been recognised by 64 countries and expressed his expectation that, following the conclusion of proceedings before the International Criminal Tribunal, several more countries will decide to do so. He also expressed his hope that Slovenia would be helpful in encouraging other countries to take such a decision.
Among the main priorities of the Republic of Kosovo, President Sejdiu pointed to the development of the energy sector, agriculture, the education and health systems, and the rule of law. In his opinion, the last local elections, in which a great number of Serbian people also took part, can be considered very successful. As regards these elections, the Slovenian President shared the view of his counterpart and emphasised that this is the first time that elections were carried out without the assistance of the international community and in accordance with international standards. He added that this was a very good sign for the upcoming parliamentary elections next year. |
 According to Dr Türk, particular attention should be focused on the enhancement of Kosovo's economy and the establishment of a solid economic basis as a precondition for the country's future development. He re-affirmed that Slovenia is willing to participate in this process, the demonstration of this willingness being the 74-strong Slovenian delegation accompanying him on his visit to Kosovo. President Sejdiu welcomed the arrival of the Slovenian economic delegation and emphasised the presence of many Slovenian companies and the popularity of Slovenian products in his country.
Dr Türk noted that Slovenia aims to establish standard cooperation between the two defence systems in the military area. The two presidents also called for cooperation in the area of higher education. To this end, President Türk offered the assistance of the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics in developing the Kosovo Centre for Business Studies to provide training in the area of finance and accounting. |
 Dr Sejdiu explained that Kosovo is striving for good relations with all neighbouring countries and making efforts to regulate its relations with Serbia. He assessed the cooperation with other neighbours as very good. He went on to say that Kosovo is very much interested in visa liberalisation and in joining Euro-Atlantic structures, adding that his country has so far been excluded from integration processes.
The Slovenian President said that Slovenia endeavours to maintain good relations with all successor countries of the former Yugoslavia and that his visit to Pristina implies no ill intentions on the part of Slovenia as regards its relations with Serbia. He called for new models of cooperation in this region, which, in his view, will also demand a certain degree of creativity. He stressed that his visit to Kosovo is particularly intended to address the current state of affairs and to discuss future cooperation, and this future, according to Dr Türk, looks good. The Kosovar President also highlighted the importance of future cooperation, adding that efforts to this end would bring about benefits for the people of both countries. |
 President Türk also met with the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Jakup Krasniqi, who introduced the work of the Assembly and major challenges in the further development of his country. He asked Dr Türk for support in Kosovo's endeavours for EU membership. The Slovenian President said that an independent Kosovo has contributed to peace and stability in the entire region. He also pointed to the necessity for democratic processes to continue. He invited the parliaments of both countries to contribute to the enhancement of bilateral relations and proposed that they adopt an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation as soon as possible. |
 Dr Türk then met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi. The two dignitaries particularly focused on Kosovo's future development, Dr Türk supporting the step-by-step approach. He congratulated the Kosovar Prime Minister on the successful implementation of local elections. He added that successful elections next year would re-affirm the recognition of Kosovo as an element of stabilisation for the entire region.
Dr Türk and Mr Thaçi also touched upon the development of economic cooperation. In their view, the most promising areas are energy, road infrastructure, tourism, mining and agriculture. Prime Minister Thaçi commended all the Slovenian companies that have made investments in Kosovo's economy. He asserted that Slovenian investors would enjoy the support of his government and his personal support in the future. |
 After their talks, the Slovenian and Kosovar presidents attended the Kosovar-Slovenian business forum, where they both addressed the audience of business people from the two countries and called for enhanced economic cooperation. |