SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA TO SLOVENIA

Ljubljana, 24 May 2000



Excellent bilateral relations, similar views on the future of Europe and the same foreign policy priorities allow the two countries to cooperate in joint activities within multilateral efforts. The two states will thus support the maintaining of the small countries' influence and the representation of their interests in EU reforms, particularly as regards voting on issues where decisions are made unanimously, underlined Presidents Milan Kucan and Valdas Adamkus, who was on a two-day visit to Slovenia from 23 to 24 May 2000.

During their official talks the Presidents discussed good and friendly bilateral relations which Slovenia and Lithuania have been fostering since the very beginning of the great changes in Europe. They also discussed European and Transatlantic integration processes, the situation in South Eastern Europe, in Russia, and also informed one another on the internal political situation in both countries.

President Kucan expressed his satisfaction over the fact that Lithuania was invited to start negotiating for EU membership at the Helsinki summit. Slovenia supports Lithuania in this process and is offering its experience which it has already acquired in negotiating with the EU. Slovenia is aware of the fact that the EU must prepare for enlargement before accepting new members. This enlargement is the first true enlargement of the EU, since it embraces countries with a different historic experience from current Member States since they lived in a different political and economic system for a longer time and are also economically less developed.

The Presidents believe that EU reforms must maintain the influence and the representation of the interests of small states both globally and within the European Commission, and that every Member State should have its own Commissioner. Concerning the initiative put forward by Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and that of Jacques Delors, the Presidents agreed that the future of the EU cannot build on a differentiation in interests and values. If the EU will not build on the assumption that all its members fundamentally have the same political interests and that they are bound by the same values, then no institutional reform will be able to guarantee a future for the EU or for a United Europe. As President Kucan emphasised, we have already experienced this in the Yugoslav federation, which was constantly in a process of institutional reform, neglecting the fact that if there is no substantive, value-related integrating idea, no institutional reform can help such a community.

The Presidents also underlined the significance of the recent conference on the role of NATO in a new European security environment held in Vilnius and co-organised by Lithuania and Slovenia. The participating countries sent a clear message to the member states that the candidates are determined that NATO enlargement must continue, for Euro-Atlantic defence and security integration is necessary if we want to have a safe future in Europe. The European component is to be strengthened as part of this and is no way accepted as an alternative.

The Presidents also discussed the situation in Russia and in South Eastern Europe, particularly the latest events in the FRY and in Kosovo. President Kucan also informed his guest about Slovenia's wish to assume the Presidency of the OSCE in 2005 and asked Lithuania for its support. In our judgement we qualify for this position due to our successful participation in the UN Security Council where Slovenia acted as a non-permanent member, and Slovenia's active role in seeking solutions for South Eastern Europe, particularly under the Stability Pact.