 President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and his wife, Barbara Miklič Türk, welcomed the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and his wife, Clio Napolitano, on the occasion of their first state visit to the Republic of Slovenia.
After the official welcoming ceremony with military honours, the presidential couples engaged in a short conversation and later, the Slovenian and Italian Presidents held a one-to-one discussion, followed by plenary talks between the delegations of the Republic of Slovenia and the Italian Republic, which were led by both presidents. The Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karl Erjavec, and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giulio Terzi, also participated in the plenary talks.
After the talks, President Türk said in his press release that it was a great honour for Slovenia to host President Giorgio Napolitano, who was not only the president of an important neighbouring country, but also a person of great importance who is listened to with interest all around the world, and a person of great wisdom and understanding regarding all international questions. |
 President Napolitano thanked his host and expressed his pleasure at making a state visit to Slovenia, which was also the first state visit of an Italian President to the new Slovenian state. He said that the visit was the culmination of his very frequent and intensive contact with President Türk, with whom he maintains a good friendship.
The Slovenian President emphasised that Slovenia and Italy had developed excellent political relations in recent years; they maintain good economic cooperation, which is progressing in all fields, and that they had successfully addressed some of the more difficult questions that had remained from the past. On this occasion, he particularly recalled the historic meeting in Trieste on 13 July 2010, where the presidents of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia performed symbolic acts, which was a sign of historical progress towards complete reconciliation between friendly neighbouring nations and a joint commitment to our European future. This event initiated the so-called ‘spirit of Trieste’, to which the Italian President had greatly contributed, added President Türk.
President Napolitano said that he and President Türk were very pleased with the work they had done in the field of relations between the states, and also relating to wider reconciliation in the region, which had suffered greatly during the Second World War. He also mentioned the meeting of the three presidents in Trieste, and recalled his attendance at the main celebration of Slovenian Statehood Day and the 20th anniversary of Slovenian independence in Ljubljana, his meeting with the Croatian President, Dr Ivo Josipović, in Pula and the attendance of the Slovenian President at the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Italian unification in Rome. He is certain that Italy, Slovenia and Croatia have made a positive impact on the development of relations within the European Union by strengthening and promoting their cooperation and peace. He expressed the desire that these efforts would continue to bring the entire region of the Western Balkans closer to the European Union. |
 Among bilateral themes, the Presidents addressed questions regarding the status of minorities which, according to the Slovenian President, were very sensitive and an important measure of the quality of relations between Slovenia and Italy. President Türk highlighted that Slovenia is committed to the principle of not reducing its contribution to financing the activities of the Italian minority community in Slovenia during the financial crisis, and was pleased to see the efforts of the Italian Government and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region to promptly resolve the issues of the Slovenian minority community in Italy. A lot of work lies ahead, said the President, who also mentioned some innovative projects, such as the joint project of both minorities ‘Jezik-Lingua’ and some specific plans, among which he particularly stressed the importance of convening a special table in Italy to resolve issues of the Slovenian minority and the arrangement of systematic funding. |
 The Presidents agreed that progress has been made recently on resolving minorities’ issues. Both Governments agreed to a meeting of a special ministerial committee which will be convened in mid-September and will try to produce specific policies on remaining bilateral questions. To a journalist’s question about the construction of gas terminals in the Gulf of Trieste, President Türk responded that it was a bad idea and that alternatives should be found. Discussions are under way, said the President, who did not want to predict their actual outcome, but he expressed certainty that the countries would find common ground in the future. President Napolitano added that questions on energy were particularly complex, and he also believed that the countries would settle them through mutual agreement.
Both minorities represent cultural wealth and, in the present circumstances, can have an exceptionally positive impact in connecting the two nations, said the Slovenian President, Dr Danilo Türk. He said it was thus politically extremely important that both countries acknowledge the importance of the status of minorities and progress in this area. The Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, also stressed that both minorities had to be protected, and their political, civil and cultural contributions to the life of both communities should be increased.
President Türk said that he and President Napolitano had had extensive talks on the state of the European Union and on present tasks related to deepening European integration. We need more Europe in Europe, and not less, emphasised President Türk. And this means concrete tasks, among which he pointed out the formation of an integrated financial system, the strengthening of an integrated fiscal system, the strengthening of the coordination of economic policies and the strengthening of the legitimacy of European institutions. Today, the importance of these tasks is better understood in the European Union than hitherto, and also the importance of connecting measures of fiscal discipline with measures to promote growth, added President Türk. |
 The Italian President stressed that Italy and Slovenia, as members of the euro area, were facing questions of financial, debt and financial market crises that concern the common currency, which he characterised as a great achievement in the process of building the European Union. President Napolitano assessed that the countries held very similar or even identical positions on questions relating to financial and bank integration. The answers to how to establish a true political Europe, which the founding countries of the European Community in 1950, including Italy, were contemplating, have to be found. President Napolitano agreed that more Europe and more integration were needed today, and that he and President Türk would strive to achieve that within the European Union. |
 In the afternoon, the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, addressed the deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, was also present at the address. |
 In the evening, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and his wife, Barbara Miklič Türk, hosted a formal dinner in honour of the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and his wife, Clio Napolitano. |