NEWS

Prime Minister Pahor receives Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić

The Slovenian Prime Minister, Borut Pahor, today received the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Luka Bebić, who is about to conclude his visit to Slovenia. Mr Pahor and Mr Bebić agreed that relations between the two countries have improved significantly, mainly as a result of regular meetings held between the Slovenian and the Croatian Prime Ministers who have established a good direct political dialogue at the highest level.  As assessed by Mr Pahor and Mr Bebić, this has also resulted in enhanced cooperation in other areas, with both highlighting the economy and the dialogue on current issues related to the Western Balkans and the prospects of the countries in that region as examples of this.

   

Mr Pahor and Mr Bebić also discussed Croatia's EU accession negotiations. The Slovenian Prime Minister said that Slovenia is in favour of the earliest possible conclusion to Croatia's technical negotiations to accede to the European Union; he, however, also drew attention to the need for consistent compliance with the accession criteria. The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament thanked the Slovenian Prime Minister for Slovenia's support in the enlargement process and added that the fruitful cooperation between the two countries should also be extended to other areas.  At the close of the meeting, Mr Pahor and Mr Bebić touched upon economic issues. They commended the strong levels of cooperation displayed thus far in this area and the opportunities provided within the scope of the partnership. They highlighted the need for strengthened cooperation leading to new projects and, in this respect, referred to their joint presence in non-EU markets and at the World Expo 2012, in addition to the Brdo Process, which has already yielded positive results.