President of the Republic of Slovenia on his first official visit to the Republic of Macedonia

Skopje, 17.2.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, together with his wife, Barbara Mikliè Türk, today began the first day of his official visit to the Republic of Macedonia. After being received with military honours, Dr Türk had a tête-à-tête with the host, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski, which was followed by plenary talks between the delegations of the two countries, chaired by the two presidents.

In the talks, both leaders highlighted the mutual trust, understanding and respect between Slovenia and Macedonia. They were pleased to note that there were no outstanding bilateral issues between the two countries, which share many common interests.

President Crvenkovski said he was pleased to see that Dr Türk was accompanied by a sizeable delegation of Slovenian businessmen, highlighting the great interest in business co-operation on the part of representatives of Macedonian companies, who will take part in meetings and talks today and tomorrow with representatives of Slovenian companies.

The two leaders agreed that Slovenia and Macedonia have a sound basis for strengthening economic co-operation, advocating increased and more balanced trade between the two countries. They also agreed that recession could open up new business opportunities and opportunities for co-operation. Mr Crvenkovski said he hoped that the current financial and economic crisis would not affect the interest of Slovenian companies in investing in Macedonia. He stressed that economic co-operation should also be strengthened through chambers of commerce and other economic associations in the two countries.

Dr Türk and Mr Crvenkovski also discussed Macedonia’s efforts to join the Euro-Atlantic structures. President Crvenkovski outlined the course of the country’s rapprochement with the European Union, stressing that, as a candidate country, Macedonia had been striving for four years to obtain a date for the start of accession negotiations for EU membership, which he hoped would come about by the end of this year. The consensus in Macedonia is that much remains to be done in the fields of public administration and judicial reform, and in the fight against corruption.

Mr Crvenkovski also referred to the dispute with Greece over Macedonia’s constitutional name and the deadlock in negotiations on settling this issue, which are the main barriers to Macedonia joining NATO. President Türk stressed that the Republic of Slovenia had always supported the use of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia in all international organisations. He added that, all too often, Europe had failed to notice Macedonia’s ethnic stability, which is a contribution to the stability of the entire region.

The two presidents also spoke about the coming presidential elections in Macedonia. Dr Türk said that he was convinced that the elections would run smoothly, and demonstrate how a solid and well-developed democracy can function.The issue of visa regimes was also discussed. President Türk and President Crvenkovski emphasised the need to strive for visa liberalisation for all the countries in the region, and noted that the Republic of Macedonia is, in technical terms, among the countries best prepared for its implementation.

President Türk today also met with the President of the National Assembly of Macedonia (the Sobranie), Trajko Veljanovski. They discussed the coming presidential elections, the beginning of Macedonia's negotiations for EU membership, visa liberalisation and the financial and economic crisis. Mr Veljanovski, among other things, welcomed the arrival of the Slovenian economic delegation and thanked the Slovenian President for the support provided to Macedonia in its process of integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. In addition, the two stressed the increasing importance of direct inter-parliamentary co-operation.

President Türk today also met the Macedonian Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, for a working lunch. Mr Gruevski was interested in developments on the call for a referendum on Croatia's integration into NATO, while the Slovenian President was seeking to be informed about Macedonia's co-operation with its regional neighbours, particularly Kosovo, Albania and Greece. The focus of their talks was an exchange of views on the current economic crisis and its consequences in both countries. Dr Türk and Mr Gruevski shared the opinion that there are no unresolved issues between the two countries and drew attention to the existence of several mutual interests. According to Prime Minister Gruevski, Slovenian companies in Macedonia are considered solid and reliable business partners, and are extremely important within the market.

The two presidents continued the official programme by attending a business forum particularly intended for enhancing the economic ties between the two countries. In the afternoon, President Türk and Mrs Türk met representatives of the Slovenian community in Macedonia.