Bilateral talks of the President of the Republic of Slovenia on the margins of the 15th Meeting of Presidents of Central European Countries

Ohrid, 3.5.2008  |  press release

On the margins of the 15th Meeting of Central European presidents, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, held meetings with the presidents of the participating countries. On the first day of the visit to Ohrid, Dr Türk met with the presidents of the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Croatia.

	The Slovenian president and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin, discussed the situation in Moldova, including the issue of the Pridnestrovie (Transdnistria) region. The Moldavian president underlined that Moldova endeavours to obtain the support of the European Union regarding the status of this region and the renewed EU-Moldova cooperation programme. On this occasion, he expressed his gratitude to President Türk for the assistance provided by Slovenia as the country holding the EU Council Presidency in both matters.
	The President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haris Silajdžić, acquainted Dr Türk with the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressing his concern regarding the postponement of signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union. The two counterparts expressed their wish that the SAA be signed as soon as possible.
	The meeting between the President of the Republic of Albania, Bamir Topi, and Dr Türk was devoted mainly to the development of bilateral relations. The Albanian president expressed Albania’s great interest in enhancing economic cooperation as well as increasing Slovenian investment in Albania. He also extended an invitation to Dr Türk to pay an official visit to the Republic of Albania.
	On the first day of his visit in Ohrid, President Türk concluded his bilateral talks with a meeting with the President of the Republic of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić. The meeting was held on the initiative of the Croatian president. The two presidents discussed the situation in South Eastern Europe and current bilateral issues. As concerns the latter, they expressed their support of the efforts of both Governments, which they consider as useful. Furthermore, they discussed the official visit of President Türk to the Republic of Croatia and the possible content of the visit.

On the second day of his visit, President Türk continued bilateral talks with the heads of state attending the 15th Meeting of Presidents of Central European Countries. Dr Türk met the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, the President of the Republic of Montenegro and the President of the Republic of Turkey.

	Slovenian President Türk and Bulgarian President Gorgi Paravanov focused their discussion on energy and climate issues and the energy future of Europe. They expressed their commitment to supporting diversity in energy supply and new partnerships between the European Union, its neighbours, with Russia and with the countries of Central Asia.
	The meeting between President Türk and Montenegro’s President Filip Vujanović was devoted to the activities of Montenegro on its path to European Union membership. The two counterparts assessed the current position of Montenegro and talked about a timetable for taking further steps along this path.
	President Türk and Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey, talked about bilateral relations between the two countries, which are developing well. The two Presidents also discussed the progress of Turkey’s accession to the European Union. The Turkish president explained the measures taken by Turkey in this area, including the shaping of legislation that will remove obstacles to the full enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression.