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The President of the Republic greeted the President of the Slovak Republic12.10.2005
 Today the President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič and Mrs. Silvia Gašparovičova arrived in Estonia for a state visit and were greeted at Kadriorg by the President of the Republic and Mrs. Ingrid Rüütel.
After the official welcoming ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace, the presidents had a meeting, where also gifts and state decorations were exchanged. The Slovakian Head of State presented Order of the 1st class of White Double Cross to the President of the Republic and the Estonian Head of State presented Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana to the President of the Slovak Republic.
Thereafter, the presidents had a one-to-one meeting, which was followed by a meeting with the delegations. At the meeting, President Rüütel congratulated Slovakia on the occasion of being elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2006-2007 and President Gašparovič thanked Estonia for the support Estonia gave to Slovakia in that respect. Both sides acknowledged that the foreign policy cooperation between the two countries was developing smoothly, and there were no problems in the field of economic relations, nevertheless, there was still more space for further development and intensification of relations.
In the words of the President of the Slovak Republic, Slovakia is not any more only a country, which receives investments, but has become itself a vigorous investing country. "A potential new cooperation form could be opening of Slovak-Estonian joint ventures in Estonia, Slovakia as well as in other countries," added President Gašparovič. In the words of the Slovakian Head of State intensification of bilateral trade relations would strengthen the competitiveness of our two countries within the European Union. He also stressed that Slovakia was on its way of becoming one of the biggest automobile producers in Europe.
Talking about multilateral cooperation within the framework of the European Union, the President of the Slovak Republic said that the cooperation between the Visegrad Four countries and the Baltic states could be a significant development booster also for the European Union. The head of Estonian state noted that such cooperation would be beneficial to the European Union and would strengthen it.
Following the meeting at Kadriorg, the presidents proceeded to the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where they opened the Estonian-Slovakian business forum where also a 10-member Slovakian business delegation participated. In his speech, the President of the Republic said that so far our economic relations had been based on the initiative of individual enterprises. "The fact that our countries are small in size and also geographical distance could be a possible reason why it is so. Nevertheless, we can take Slovakia as a promising cooperation partner and a significant competitor in the European market," President Rüütel added.
In the evening the President of the Republic and Mrs. Ingrid Rüütel will host a festive dinner in honour of the President of the Slovak Republic and Mrs. Silvia Gašparovičova.
Tomorrow the President of the Slovak Republic will visit Lahemaa and leave Estonia in the evening.
Public Relations Unit of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 12, 2005
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