Slovenian, Canadian heads of state call for boosting ties

Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk and visiting Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean on Wednesday called for a further strengthening of the already excellent relations between the two countries.

Speaking to the press after the meeting at Brdo in suburban Ljubljana, Jean stressed the importance of consolidating the relations between the two countries, especially in light of the current global economic crisis.

"The more we join forces, the more solid and effective solutions we will find," she was quoted as saying by the official Slovenian news service STA.

Tuerk said that trade between Canada and Slovenia had decreased during the recession, however there is a chance to work on that.

With both Slovenia and Canada being part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, Tuerk and Jean discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the pair agreed that persistence was needed, as issues that needed to be solved were not of the kind enabling easy solutions. They stressed that strengthening the legitimacy of political institutions in Afghanistan also depended on the way in which the international community helps.

During her meeting with Slovenian parliament speaker Pavel Gantar, Jean debated ways for tackling the financial and economic crisis.

Gantar said that as a small and open economy Slovenia strongly felt the consequences of the crisis in EU member states, on which it was economically dependent.

He believed that Slovenia should strive to diversify its trade, strengthen economic ties with countries outside Europe and look for new ways of cooperation.

The pair agreed that solidarity with the most vulnerable groups was necessary. "It is the job of politics to take care of those who need help but cannot help themselves, while we need to create new opportunities for others," Gantar said.

Jean, who began her official visit to Slovenia on Wednesday, will also meet Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Jankovic before ending her visit on Friday.

Source: Xinhua