President Türk on official visit to the Swiss Confederation

Kehrsatz, 5.11.2010  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, arrived on an official visit to the Swiss Confederation, where he was received by his host, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Doris Leuthard. After an official reception with military honours, official talks were held between the delegations of the Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Slovenia, led by the respective presidents.

President Doris Leuthard described the official visit by the Slovenian President to Switzerland as a friendly visit, stating that the two countries have excellent bilateral relations and similar views. There are not many open issues in the cooperation between Switzerland and Slovenia and the two countries can therefore focus on their joint interests at the international level and exchange experience in facing social challenges in their respective countries. President Leuthard stressed that Switzerland has been deeply impressed by the recent achievements of Slovenia in becoming a Member State of the European Union, the NATO Alliance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as a member of numerous multilateral organisations.

President Türk thanked President Leuthard for the warm and friendly reception and for the interesting discussions he had had with her. He highlighted that, in the past years, Slovenia has intensively adjusted its system to the very demanding international organisations that were mentioned by the President of the Swiss Confederation. He added that Slovenia is interested in the rich experience of Switzerland in creating different policies, ranging from the financial sphere, economic counselling and other forms of economic cooperation, to the area of migration, where Switzerland has a long history of experience and very well-developed policies.

The President of the Swiss Confederation said that both countries make every effort to preserve their openness, multiculturalism and multilingualism and a system of treating immigrants with respect, while at the same time expecting the immigrants to respect their domestic laws and values. She added that immigration usually proves beneficial for export-oriented countries and their public, social and cultural lives. President Türk added that integration is not in contravention of multiculturalism and that well-developed migration policies must include both. Good integration, in particular the acquisition of appropriate language skills, has an impact on the social success and social mobility of immigrants.

President Leuthard said that trade between the two countries is growing and that Switzerland is already now the second largest investor in Slovenia. The two presidents agreed that there are still many opportunities for strengthening economic cooperation. President Türk presented the opportunities for investing in the Slovenian economy, which, in his words, in the present period additionally welcomes direct foreign investments. He emphasized that now is the right time to invest in Slovenia, mentioning as the most promising areas manufacturing industry, such as the specialised textile industry and the production of kitchen appliances, and the service sector, in which he highlighted banking and tourism.

The two presidents also focused on the Swiss Cohesion Financial Contribution, which aims to reduce economic and social differences among the countries of the enlarged European Union. As a specific case of cooperation between the two countries, the President of the Swiss Confederation highlighted the planned partnership between the University Clinical Centre of Maribor and the Cantonal Hospital Bellinzona in developing radiation therapy projects. In the area of science, 190 Slovenian and Swiss teams are already cooperating within the Seventh EU Framework Programme. According to President Leuthard, Switzerland is also interested in strengthening cooperation with Slovenia in the Eurostars Research and Development Programme. She further mentioned cooperation between the two countries within the Schengen area. From 1 January 2011, Switzerland will represent Slovenia’s interests in relation to the Schengen visa regime, in Tanzania, Uruguay and Ecuador.

The two presidents also touched on the global economic and financial situation and expectations in relation to the development of a global financial system. President Leuthard presented to the Slovenian President the activities of Switzerland in the implementation of OECD standards on the avoidance of double taxation. The two dignitaries also exchanged views on ensuring stability in the Eurozone within the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and on setting up a future permanent mechanism in the European Union to deal with financial crises.

In the afternoon, President Türk visited the headquarters of the newspaper agency Neue Züricher Zeitung, where he met the editor-in-chief and members of editorial staff, who conducted an extensive interview with him.