NEWS
Prime Minister attends the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek, attended the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius on 28 and 29 November. The event was hosted by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. On the margins, the Slovenian Prime Minister met with the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili.
The EU-Republic of Moldova and EU-Georgia Association Agreements were initialled at the Summit today and are expected to be signed next year. The Visa Facilitation Agreement was signed with the Republic of Azerbaijan. The envisaged signing of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine was suspended temporarily by the latter. It was up to Ukraine to decide when it would be ready to sign the Agreement, while the EU would continue endeavouring to strengthen cooperation and deepen relations with Ukraine, Alenka Bratušek commented.
The Prime Minister went on to stress that in Slovenia's estimates the Eastern Partnership delivered important results and was the key process for the development and stability of the Eastern neighbourhood. The presence of the EU in the countries of the Eastern Partnership should be intensified and special attention paid to closer regional cooperation modelled on the Central European Free Trade Agreement and the Central European Initiative. She also highlighted the student exchange programmes and mobility in general, adding that, in her opinion, these should be expanded.