NEWS
Prime Minister Janša attends Central Europe – China economic forum
On the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk, the Prime Minster of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended the meeting between the Prime Ministers of Central Europe and the Prime Minister of China, which was held in Warsaw at the Central Europe – China Economic Forum. This forum was organised following last year's meeting with China at the Economic and Trade Forum in Budapest. This year's meeting is being held with a view to presenting opportunities for cooperation between Central European countries and China, primarily in the area of investment.
A meeting between Prime Minister Janša and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was held in the morning. The two counterparts agreed that China is Slovenia's most important trading partner in Asia. Trade between the two countries has been growing every year, but there are still many opportunities for enhanced cooperation. They also touched upon trade in goods between the two countries, which totalled EUR 600 million last year, representing an 11% year-on-year increase. They assessed that the relations between the two countries have been good and pointed out that this year marks the 20th anniversary of mutual diplomatic relations. The meeting with the Chinese Premier was very important as China plays an increasingly important role in the world; moreover, a dialogue with China opens doors to cooperation in numerous areas, which is critical in order to find a way out of the current global financial difficulties. In this context, Slovenia is particularly interested in strengthening economic cooperation in the area of investment.
Prime Minister Janša continued his working visit to Warsaw with an informal meeting with Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Mr Lenarčič briefed Prime Minister Janša on the Office's planned activities and work to date.
Prime Minister Janša will continue his visit to Warsaw by attending a working meeting between China's Premier and the Prime Ministers of Central Europe.