NEWS
Slovenian Prime Minister on invitation extended to Slovenia to join OECD: this is a great compliment to Slovenia
At today's OECD ministerial meeting in Paris, Slovenia received an official invitation to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The invitation was extended to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, by the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, this year's chair of the ministerial Council, and the OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. Slovenia has been waiting for this invitation since 1996 when it applied for the OECD membership.
(Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA)
"Through this invitation, Slovenia has rounded off its integration into international political, economic and financial institutions," said Mr Pahor on receiving the invitation by the Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, chair of this year's ministerial Council meeting, and went on to emphasise that this is a very emotional moment, for which he feels greatly honoured and privileged. "From that point on, the path leads into an elite club, the club of the most developed countries in the world," said Prime Minister Pahor and emphasised that Slovenia will have to walk a steep and, in places, dangerous path, while undertaking to maintain an ambitious and courageous stance as well as a good political and social shape and determination to reach the top. "However, Slovenia succeeded once again and now it is our task to retain the reputation of a country, which is considered an example for the region," emphasised Mr Pahor addressing the high OECD representatives and promised that Slovenia would continue to implement structural reforms. "This is a difficult and unpopular task, but someone must deal with it," added the Slovenian Prime Minister.
On this occasion, the OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria congratulated the new and future member countries (the invitation was also received by Estonia and Israel) for their commitment and hard work. He explained that as regards OECD, the accession process is over and that the organisation is now opening a new chapter in its history with new innovation strategies. "As members, each country, also Slovenia, will bring diverse and valuable policy perspectives and expertise to the OECD," said Mr Gurria who, in the case of Slovenia, highlighted the adoption of major legislation to improve its corporate governance framework for state-owned enterprises, a legislation which required tough negotiations, while also representing a significant experience for the OECD.
Prime Minister Pahor used the event to explain to the distinguished guests that Slovenia was commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first democratically elected government, which coincided with the invitation to become a member of the OECD, a historical moment of great importance for the country. He then touched upon the referendum on the Arbitration Agreement and explained that he addressed this issue because many participants had previously inquired about it. Mr Pahor expressed his hope that the citizens taking part in the referendum would decide in favour of Slovenia's future. The Slovenian Prime Minister also stressed that it is becoming increasingly evident that this is a highly important issue, which is not only fundamental to the decision on bilateral relations between Slovenia and Croatia, but also represents evidence of the ability of a certain policy to resolve such a significant problem in a reasonable and deliberate manner, accompanied by the trust of people, the ultimate condition for this policy to succeed.
At the close of his address, the Slovenian Prime Minister said that the OECD membership is not the end but the beginning of new reforms. He, however, wishes that in the future, Slovenia will be able to serve as an inspiration and provide assistance to all those countries which require it, and thanked all those who have assisted Slovenia on this path for their support. "From that point on, we can look into the future with optimism and courage. I wish to share these feelings with all Slovenian citizens," concluded Prime Minister Pahor. The invitation will be followed by the signing of the agreement between Slovenia and the OECD on 1 June this year in Ljubljana. The agreement will be signed by the OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria and the Slovenian Minister Responsible for Development and European Affairs, Mitja Gaspari, and will then be ratified by the Slovenian National Assembly.
(Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA)
On the margins of the OECD Ministerial Meeting, where Slovenia received its invitation to join OECD, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, also met with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanjahu.
At the meeting, which was held in a very relaxed and constructive atmosphere, the Prime Ministers congratulated each other on the invitation to OECD and agreed on reinforced cooperation within the Organisation. The two leaders agreed that bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of economy, may be renewed and reinforced through participation in OECD. OECD is a guarantee of a successful and stable economy.
Further, they also exchanged their experiences in resolving open issues with neighbouring countries. Prime Minister Netanjahu presented in detail the position of the State of Israel regarding the efforts to revive the peace process with Palestine and the security threats faced by the region; he also inquired about certain issues relating to the political stability in the Western Balkans. Thus, the two leaders devoted a major part of their talks to the political situations in the Middle East and the Western Balkans.
They also touched upon the global economic crisis and agreed that there are several yet unexploited potentials for economic cooperation between the two countries. Israel with its largest and most developed economy in the Middle East is well aware of the global economic situation, and therefore seeks opportunities for enhanced cooperation with the EU member states and for a more visible presence in the common European market, where Slovenia may play the role of an entry point.
Prime Minister Netanjahu also commended the Arbitration Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Croatia, emphasizing that this agreement may set an example not only in the region but also worldwide.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Netanjahu proposed that this very constructive discussion be continued in Israel and invited the Slovenian Prime Minister to visit Israel before the end of this year.