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Reception of the President of the Finnish Parliament

Ljubljana, 02/26/2007  |  press release

Today, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, received the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Mr Paavo Lipponen and members of the Finnish Parliament on official visit to Slovenia.

Mr Drnovšek and Mr Lipponen assessed the relationship between both countries as excellent and friendly, with great possibilities for further development in all areas.

In discussing the current international issues, the presidents, Dr Drnovšek and M.Sc. Lipponen, emphasised the importance of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe for further consolidation of the EU and its reputation in the world.

They shared the opinion that despite numerous obstacles encountered in various countries it is important to proceed with the ratification of the Treaty.

The President of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Mr Paavo Lipponen, was particularly interested in the position of the Slovenian president, Dr Drnovšek, on Mr Ahtisaari's proposal for managing the issue of Kosovo. President Drnovšek said that he supported this proposal, but that it would be illusory to expect that the proposal would satisfy everybody, i.e. the Serbian and the Albanian party in Kosovo. At this moment, a realistic solution is primarily to secure a complete protection of the Serbian minority in Kosovo, and the safety of and care for the cultural and religious heritage of Serbs in Kosovo.

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, emphasised the importance of the unity of the international community relating to the issue of Kosovo and the support to Mr Ahtisaari's proposal for settling the problems involved.