 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today arrived on an official visit to the State of Kuwait, where he was received by the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. In an extended one-to-one meeting, the Slovenian President and the Kuwaiti Emir assessed relations between the two countries as traditionally good and called for their further enhancement. Their talks largely focused on the possibilities of promoting economic cooperation, particularly in the area of finance, trade, energy and health services.
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 After visiting the Kuwait Scientific Centre, President Türk met with the Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, Jassim Mohammad Al-Khorafi, and the Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The meeting was followed by plenary talks between the Slovenian and Kuwaiti delegations, led, respectively, by the Slovenian President and the Kuwaiti Emir. |
 The talks covered political issues and the evaluation of the situation in the Middle East, as well as a review of bilateral relations. President Türk outlined new investment possibilities in Slovenian development projects, particularly in infrastructure development, and emphasised the need for resuming good cooperation in the area of health. According to Dr Türk, tourism is another area which offers great possibilities.
One of the topics the talks focused on was also the current initiatives to revive the Middle East Peace Process, in which Kuwait is actively participating. Sheikh Al-Sabah outlined the tasks of the Kuwaiti Presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). These tasks also include efforts to complete the free trade area negotiations between the European Union and the GCC countries. President Türk emphasised that within the EU framework and as a member of the group of the Mediterranean countries, friends of GCC countries, Slovenia is sharing the group's efforts for early completion of these negotiations.
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 After the talks, an Agreement between the Government of the State of Kuwait and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on Economic Cooperation, and a Convention between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Slovenia on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital were concluded. On the Slovenian side, the Agreement and the Convention were signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel ®bogar, and, respectively, the Minister of Finance, Dr Franc Kri¾aniè. The two countries thus established a legal framework facilitating further development of economic cooperation.
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 During his official visit to Kuwait, the Slovenian President, alongside the two ministers, was accompanied by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Ivan Er¾en, and a 69-member economic delegation. On the second day of the visit, the representatives of the Slovenian corporate sector attended the Kuwaiti-Slovenian business forum, where President Türk addressed businessmen from the two countries.
In his address, Dr Türk highlighted the long-standing friendship between the two countries and called for the enhancement of economic cooperation. In so doing, he stressed the advantages of Slovenia, which as a member of the area with a stable currency, the euro, is expecting positive economic growth in the coming years. Among the areas of interest for investment in Slovenia, President Türk mentioned infrastructure projects, the development of logistics centres and the financial sector. Obviously there are also other possibilities for economic cooperation in the area of production industries, retail trade, and energy and health services. The Slovenian President particularly highlighted the strategic position of Slovenia as a country of transit and as the country that won the seat of the newly established EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).
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 Dr Türk then visited Kuwait University, where he gave a lecture on "Democracy, Human Rights and Dialogue between Civilisations". He closed his visit by meeting with Slovenian businessmen and citizens of the Republic of Slovenia residing in Kuwait. |