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Slovenian and Macedonian presidents address business conference

Brdo pri Kranju, 16.2.2011  |  press release


President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Danilo Türk and President of the Republic of Macedonia Dr Gjorge Ivanov attend the Slovenian-Macedonian business conference (photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)On the second day of the official visit to Slovenia, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr Gjorge Ivanov, and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, attended the Slovenian-Macedonian business conference, in which around 150 businessmen from the two countries took part.

In his address, President Türk highlighted that economic cooperation between Slovenia and Macedonia had always been an expression of deeper cultural understanding and mutual respect between the two countries. He expressed a wish that the exchange of goods between the two countries, which, because of the global economic crisis, had fallen over the past two years, would again increase and become balanced. In his view, this could be achieved through broad and intensive communication between those living in the two countries; communication of this kind, in fact, has been additionally strengthened through the liberalisation of EU visa regime and is shown in the increased number of visits and student exchanges.

President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Danilo Türk and President of the Republic of Macedonia Dr Gjorge Ivanov attend the Slovenian-Macedonian business conference (photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)Besides the exchange of goods, much more intense cooperation is needed in the field of investments in energy, telecommunications and tourism, said President Türk. On the last, he highlighted Slovenia’s advantages, such as developed continental-type tourism and the knowledge required for further development of cooperation in this field. In his words, cultural and political cooperation deserve special attention because they can be helpful in establishing long-term relations and successful cooperation. In addition, President Türk mentioned the opportunities brought about by the developing Adriatic-Ionian euro-region, in particular in development of roads, railways, energy and other infrastructure projects.

In his address, President Ivanov agreed that Slovenia and Macedonia have developed excellent cooperation in all fields as a result of the long-standing friendly relations between the two countries and their people. Moreover, he said that the possibilities of even more effective cooperation have not yet been exhausted. He described the business conference as a good opportunity for creating new and reinforcing existing business contacts and concrete business projects between companies in the two countries.

President Ivanov also pointed out that Slovenia was a leading trade partner for Macedonia, occupying one of the top places among its investors. Slovenian investments are present particularly in banking, the food industry, tobacco and in the services sector. In his view, all investments by Slovenian companies, of which he mentioned Lek, Fructal, Era, Merkur, Engrotu¹, Ilirika and NLB, have been successful; in addition, Slovenian products have a high reputation and are synonymous with quality for consumers in Macedonia. President Ivanov also supported the idea of an increased and balanced exchange of goods between the two countries, including joint action by Slovenian and Macedonian companies on third markets.
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