 | The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, received today the President of the Republic of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is on a working visit to Slovenia. The two Presidents touched upon the issues concerning bilateral relations between Slovenia and Estonia which they assessed as excellent, as there exists a deep political trust between the two countries. Economic co-operation is also very good and showing positive development trend, however, the Presidents agreed that there was room for the enhancement of co-operation in the respective areas of trade in goods and services and of direct investments. Furthermore, they discussed the Slovenian experience gained in holding Presidency of the EU Council, and the topical issues concerning the EU and its further development. Among those, it was the issues of further ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and of European energy security that were brought to the forefront.
They also addressed the issues brought about by the developments in Georgia. In this context, President Danilo Türk stressed that Slovenia highly values the knowledge, experience and insights of the Republic of Estonia into the matters concerning the situation in Georgia and into other matters of importance for the relations between the EU and its neighbourhood. As he explained, it was important that, in the shaping of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the opinions and analyses be heard of all countries which, owing to their historical experience and geographical location, could contribute towards a better understanding of problems and shaping of appropriate solutions. The Estonian President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, highlighted the need that the Lisbon Treaty be ratified so as to allow a more efficient European external policy and a stronger role of the EU in conflicts such as that in Georgia. President Dr Danilo Türk also stressed the need for further enhancing the partnerships within the neighbourhood of the EU, including the development of partnership between the EU and the Russian Federation. |