Foreign minister on visit to Slovenia

Serbia's foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic, is today starting a two-day working visit to Slovenia. Jeremic met with his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar, and announced that an inter-state agreement on social insurance could be signed during Serbian President Boris Tadic's visit to Ljubljana in late September. Foreign minister on visit to Slovenia This would serve to solve the problems of Serbians who earned their pensions working in Slovenia. Jeremic met and discussed arrangements for Tadic's visit with Slovenia's top officials, including President Danilo Turk. Their talks also focused on "the central strategic issue for Serbia" – EU integration and lifting of the EU visa regime. For this, the minister said, he "asked and received Slovenia's support". Jeremic also welcomed an agreement reached between Slovenia and Croatia over a long-standing border dispute, and stressed that this should speed up the Western Balkans' accession to the EU. Ahead of his visit today, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it would confirm its interest in strengthening of bilateral ties with Serbia, "but also of economic cooperation". The ministry said that trade between the two countries last year reached EUR 1.1bn, while Serbia is "on the top of the list of investment destinations" for Slovenia, with the overall figure of EUR 1.6bn at the end of last year. At the same time, Serbian companies invested EUR 21mn in Slovenia. Ljubljana also intends to "emphasize the importance of a meeting of high representatives" regarding the succession of the Socialists Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, "especially the issue of property of Slovenian companies in Serbia, stressing the importance of arranging this question in a favorable manner in the context of further strengthening of cooperation between the states". The delegations will also discuss the region, where Slovenia "wishes to stress the importance of the European perspective as a key lever in the reform processes in the Western Balkans states". This country, according to the statement, also intends to "help with its experiences in various areas". Jeremic, Zbogar in a news conference in Ljubljana today (Tanjug)

Foreign minister on visit to Slovenia

This would serve to solve the problems of Serbians who earned their pensions working in Slovenia.

Jeremić met and discussed arrangements for Tadić's visit with Slovenia's top officials, including President Danilo Turk.

Their talks also focused on "the central strategic issue for Serbia" – EU integration and lifting of the EU visa regime.

For this, the minister said, he "asked and received Slovenia's support".

Jeremić also welcomed an agreement reached between Slovenia and Croatia over a long-standing border dispute, and stressed that this should speed up the Western Balkans' accession to the EU.

Ahead of his visit today, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it would confirm its interest in strengthening of bilateral ties with Serbia, "but also of economic cooperation".

The ministry said that trade between the two countries last year reached EUR 1.1bn, while Serbia is "on the top of the list of investment destinations" for Slovenia, with the overall figure of EUR 1.6bn at the end of last year.

At the same time, Serbian companies invested EUR 21mn in Slovenia.

Ljubljana also intends to "emphasize the importance of a meeting of high representatives" regarding the succession of the Socialists Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, "especially the issue of property of Slovenian companies in Serbia, stressing the importance of arranging this question in a favorable manner in the context of further strengthening of cooperation between the states".

The delegations will also discuss the region, where Slovenia "wishes to stress the importance of the European perspective as a key lever in the reform processes in the Western Balkans states". This country, according to the statement, also intends to "help with its experiences in various areas".