NEWS

Prime Minister Pahor at the 6th Croatia Summit in Dubrovnik: 'The Brdo Process is the most important regional initiative for a political dialogue'

At the invitation of his counterpart, the Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, the Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor is attending the 6th Croatia Summit, an international conference taking place under the title 'A New Decade for South East Europe – Finalizing the Transition'.

   

In his address at yesterday's panel, Mr Pahor again congratulated Croatia for the conclusion of its EU accession negotiations and emphasised that its success can serve as an inspiration to other Western Balkan countries in implementing their reforms and meeting the criteria for accession to the EU. Mr Pahor highlighted the importance of the Brdo Process for the countries of South East Europe aspiring to become members of the EU; in his view, this process is one of the most important regional initiatives and the only one in which all the constituent entities of the former Yugoslavia participate. The Slovenian Prime Minister called on the EU member states to support the Brdo Process which, when accompanied by 'a strong political will', will help resolve any open political, economic and security issues before they could impede the Western Balkans' integration into the EU.  In particular, he highlighted the dispute between Macedonia and Greece, and called on Skopje to reach a compromise with Athens.

   

Following the panel, Mr Pahor met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, with whom he discussed in particular the situation in the Middle East. Prime Minister Pahor and Speaker Rivlin agreed that the Middle East peace process needs to be continued by resuming direct talks. This is the only way in which a permanent peace and arrangements for the establishment of a Palestinian state can be achieved. At Mr Revlin's request, Prime Minister Pahor outlined the way in which the border dispute with Croatia was resolved.

   

Organised for the sixth time, the purpose of the Croatia Summit is to facilitate dialogue and the exchange of views between its participants on the integration of South East Europe into Euro-Atlantic structures. The main topics of this year's conference are as follows: problems related to the economic development of the countries in the region, with a special emphasis on the importance of foreign investment, as well as the challenges related to regional and global security in light of the social and political developments in the southern Mediterranean, and the continuation of the EU enlargement process towards the countries of South East Europe.

  

On the margins of his visit to Dubrovnik, Mr Pahor will today hold a separate bilateral meeting with his Croatian counterpart, Ms Jadranka Kosor. The two will continue to focus on enhancing economic cooperation and other open issues, thereby taking advantage of the positive atmosphere and firm mutual trust established during bilateral relations over the past two years.

  

At the conference, the political leaders will also discuss topical issues which are of relevance to South East Europe and beyond. During the global economic and financial crisis, which presents a challenge to all countries, there is a need to develop a new framework which facilitates the realisation of economic interests. South East Europe also needs new economic policies and measures in order to enable the region to successfully tackle the economic and financial crisis and to establish its presence in those regions which are worthy of investment. A further item on the conference's agenda will be the events taking place in the southern Mediterranean.