Slovenia fully supports Serbia on its path to the European Union

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, is paying an official visit to Slovenia today and tomorrow. This is the first official visit of President Nikolić to the Republic of Slovenia since President Pahor, as the first President of Slovenia to do so, paid an official visit to the Republic of Serbia on 29 and 30 May 2014.


Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA

After a reception with military honours, the two presidents met briefly one-to-one before plenary talks between the Slovenian and Serbian delegations and a press conference in the Grand Hall of the Presidential Palace.

In their talks, they devoted special attention to bilateral relations, enlargement of the European Union and the latest developments in the region, with an emphasis on the current migrant crisis. They agreed that the relations between the two countries were excellent and based on a joint declaration signed by both presidents last year, on the first official visit of the President of Slovenia to Belgrade. Serbian President Nikolić thanked Slovenia for the extraordinary aid offered by the latter at the time of the floods in Serbia, and added that such actions further strengthen the sincere friendship between the countries.

President Pahor assured president Nikolić that Slovenia remains an ally of Serbia on its way towards membership of the European Union and reiterated Slovenia’s willingness to help in the negotiation process initiated by Serbia last year. Slovenia advocates the opening of the first negotiation chapters before the end of this year. The Presidents of Slovenia and Serbia also discussed the bilateral cooperation between the countries both in the political field and in the fields of economy and culture.

In the context of current international issues, the two presidents paid particular attention to the refugee crisis in the region; President Pahor commended Serbia’s approach to the refugees, who have been crossing its territory in large numbers. President Pahor said that Slovenia supports the initiative for the organisation of a high-level meeting about the Western Balkans migration route and pointed out the need for partner cooperation of the EU Member States and the countries from the neighbouring Western Balkans region. According to President Pahor, the countries in the region should not be left alone in tackling the refugee crisis, as these challenges can be addressed only jointly.

At the press conference, President Pahor said that the relations between Slovenia and Serbia were excellent and that Slovenia wishes to continue the positive and multi-faceted development thereof. There are no open bilateral issues burdening the relations between the two countries, and those that appear are successfully resolved in the context of regular political contacts, said President Pahor. Thanks to their friendly relations, Slovenia and Serbia can openly and sincerely discuss even those topics where they hold opposing views, such as the issue of the recognition of Kosovo. President Pahor also highlighted Slovenia’s support for Serbia’s membership in the EU. The President of Slovenia added that the economic relations between the countries were also excellent, as Serbia traditionally ranks among the most important foreign trade partners of Slovenia; he noted the positive trend in trade in goods, which now amounts to over 1 billion euros annually. Slovenia also ranks second among foreign investors in Serbia. In view of the interests of the Slovenian economy, Serbia is a very attractive investment destination. There are more than 1,300 Slovenian companies registered in Serbia, which is by far the greatest number among all foreign investors in the country. These companies provide around 35,000 jobs and strengthen the export potentials of Serbia. Serbia is the second largest recipient of Slovenian foreign direct investment (amounting to EUR 1,180.50 million) and is Slovenia’s eleventh most important trading partner.

Regarding the issue of refugees as a major humanitarian problem, President Pahor expressed his thanks for the solidarity and the positive role of Serbia in tackling the recent wave of migrants. Slovenia will offer Serbia support in tackling the refugee crisis, President Pahor pointed out, reiterating that the two countries already cooperate in the twinning project "Support for the National Asylum System in the Republic of Serbia", which was initiated in September 2015 and is to last for 27 months.

The Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia will take part in the implementation of the "Fight Against Organised Crime" programme from January 2016, especially in the field of human trafficking. Slovenia points to the importance of priority discussion of the Western Balkans migrant route. In order to tackle the wave of migrants effectively, the Western Balkans should be enabled rapid absorption of EU funds for addressing migration pressures. We should cooperate as partners, the two presidents stressed, assessing that the fight against smugglers and other organised crime groups should be intensified and that diplomatic efforts of the EU for eliminating the reasons for the migration crisis should be consolidated. One of the key elements of the foreign policy approach is the regulation of the situation in the Middle East, stressed Presidents Pahor and Nikolić.

President Pahor also assessed that cooperation in the fields of culture and education was also strengthening, noting that the two presidents would devote a part of the official visit to paying homage to a historical figure who bridges the two nations, Mihajlo Pupin, whose intervention at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 helped Slovenia preserve a part of its territory. Already during his lifetime, Pupin became an honorary citizen of Bled, where the two presidents will unveil his statue tomorrow. An exhibition devoted to the internationally renowned Serbian mathematician, physicist and inventor will open today at the City Art Gallery.

The first day of the Serbian president’s official visit to Slovenia will close with a gala dinner at the Presidential Palace.