President of the Republic of Slovenia on official visit to Peru

Lima, 31.3.2008  |  press release

Today in Lima, as part of his official visit to the Republic of Peru, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, met the Peruvian President, Dr Alan Garcia Pérez. It is the first visit by the President of the Republic of Slovenia to this Latin American country.

The two Heads of State focused primarily on preparations for the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit due to take place in Lima in May. “Intensive preparations for the summit are under way and, in Peru, they are taking the priorities of the summit – combating poverty and social exclusion and tackling climate change – very seriously. Ideological discussions are making way for the search for entirely practical solutions,” commented President Türk, adding that this is possible nowadays because Latin America is recording good economic growth. The summit in Lima is part of a process which will continue into the future. Slovenia is preparing a strategic discussion on the Millennium Development Goals for the June meeting of the European Council, explained the President. He pointed out that, in his opinion, two conditions were crucial to the success of the Lima Summit – a balance between the subjects dealt with in public and those that would have to be discussed behind closed doors, and ensuring that the concluding document of the Summit was well prepared in advance.

The Slovenian and Peruvian Presidents went on to discuss migration. At this juncture, Dr Türk emphasised the importance of intercultural dialogue, reconciling cultural elements within Europe itself and linking Europe with other parts of the world. “We expect a great deal from cooperation with Latin America,” he said, “because we share the same value system.”

President Danilo Türk also invited the Peruvian President, Alan Garcia Pérez, to visit Slovenia.

Later in his visit to Lima, the Slovenian President met the President of the Congress of Peru, Dr Luis Gonzales Posada. The two statesmen highlighted the importance of strengthening contacts between States, and the role of parliamentary authorities in this. The President of the Congress advocates that the Slovenian Parliament sets up a cooperation group with Peru.

Tomorrow the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, continues his Latin American tour in Brazil, where he will meet with the President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.