Czech President on a Working Visit to Slovenia

Brdo pri Kranju, 15.9.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, has received the President of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus, as part of his working visit to Slovenia. Their meeting began with a one-to-one discussion followed by talks between the delegations of the two countries, headed by the two presidents.

President Türk extended a cordial welcome to his Czech counterpart and emphasised the excellent political relations between the two countries characterised by a long tradition and rich substance. Owing to the recent Slovenian and Czech EU Council presidencies, bilateral relations have further intensified, and this has been accompanied by improved communication at the highest political level. The visit of the President Klaus, who is revisiting Slovenia after six years, is a follow-up to Dr Türk's official visit to the Czech Republic last year. The two presidents also regularly meet at various international events, such as the recent Visegrad Group Presidential Summit in the Polish town of Sopot.

President Klaus pointed out that the two countries had in the past advocated similar views on a number of international issues, which could be translated into common positions within international organisations. The two presidents agreed that harmonisation of the policies of the new EU Member States is very useful.

Dr Türk highlighted the practical benefits of Slovenia's membership of and co-operation within the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Mr Klaus described CEFTA as a highly visible, tangible and functioning form of co-operation between Central European countries. He expressed the wish that the Visegrad Group would introduce a mechanism supporting more in-depth co-operation between member countries.

The two presidents went on to touch upon EU issues, in particular the improvement of energy security in Europe. President Klaus welcomed the recent agreement between Slovenian and Croatian governments on continuation of Croatia's EU accession negotiations and the settlement of the border dispute.

The two also discussed Mr Klaus's book "Blue Planet in Green Shackles", which has also been published in Slovenia. According to President Türk, the principle message of the book is the centrality of human freedom. President Klaus explained that the countries which experienced Communist rule are particularly conscious of the importance of human freedom.

Later, the two presidents attended the presentation of the Slovene translation of Mr Klaus's book. During a working lunch, they exchanged views on the co-operation of European Union with Russia. President Klaus concluded his stay in Slovenia by visiting the paper mill VIPAP Videm Krıko, d.d., which is in majority Czech ownership.