In the late afternoon, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, accompanied by a strong business delegation, ended his official visit to Ukraine. Although in Ukraine an agreement on early elections had been reached, and most of the PM's hosts discussed the issue, this was not the focus of the visit. At a press conference, Mr Janša said that all of his hosts had devoted most of their attention to the European dimension and Ukraine's expectations of receiving a formal invitation to join the EU in the near future.
Prime Minister Janez Janša lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on his visit to Ukraine. (Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
Support for Ukraine's EU membership is growing. According to Mr Janša, strategic progress was made in Ukrainian policy when a consensus was reached that this was the country's common goal. This is the moment when the EU should take a step forward and encourage the pro-European supporters in Ukraine with concrete measures. In this respect, the PM mentioned the end of negotiations on a special agreement which could be more than just a free trade agreement. Slovenia would like to see the agreement signed during its EU Presidency.
Prime Minister Janez Janša and the leader of the BYUT opposition party, Yulia Tymoshenko. (Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
Mr Janša believes that autumn elections would stabilise the political situation in Ukraine, while in terms of the economy, the country is heading in the right direction. Moreover, he is convinced that the next government would be pro-European and would focus on economic reform and adopting European standards, which would improve the conditions for bilateral collaboration between Slovenia and Ukraine.
In the morning, Mr Janša met the Ukrainian foreign minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, to discuss the situation in the broader region, where Ukraine has a major role, and the current situation in Kosovo.
Prime Minister Janez Janša meets the Apostolic Nuncio of Ukraine and Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič. (Photo: Srdjan Živulovič/Bobo)
The PM also met the Apostolic Nuncio of Ukraine and Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, with whom he discussed Slovenia's role in the light of the EU Presidency, and assessed the opportunities to strengthen cooperation in this part of Europe, particularly in the field of culture. In the afternoon, Mr Janša met the leader of the BYUT opposition party, Yulia Tymoshenko, to discuss Ukraine’s efforts to join Euro-Atlantic organisations.
The Slovenian Prime Minister was also one of the speakers at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) international conference, which was attended by the Ukrainian President, Viktor Yushchenko, and the former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder. In his address, Mr Janša pointed out the new opportunities that arose for Slovenia as an EU member state, and outlined the introduction of the euro, which was closely linked to economic and social reforms. Ukraine was encouraged to continue in its current direction and persist with its pro-European efforts, as the burden of responsibility it is carrying is indeed large. According to Mr Janša, democratisation processes in the country can be a great example to democratic movements in Belarus and the broader region, since many expect Ukraine to be the leader on the path to Europe. The Slovenian PM concluded his address by saying that the people of Ukraine can go beyond the dilemma of orange and blue, and unite under blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian and European flags.
