Fouere Pays Farewell Visit to FM

Ljubljana, 25 July

EU Ambassador to Slovenia Erwan Fouere on Monday paid a farewell visit to Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel at the end of his term. The officials discussed current EU topics, with Rupel thanking Fouere for his efforts and personal commitment to help Slovenia, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

Fouere said he was sad to be leaving Slovenia, but happy that so many important things have taken place in the past three years. He added that he was delighted and honoured to have been able to participate in an interesting period of Slovenia's EU integration and witness the moment of the country's EU entry.
Slovenia was very well prepared for its membership, Fouere said. He estimated that one of the more important contributions of the country to the EU are its experience and the special relation it upholds with the Western Balkans, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, Rupel underscored that the European perspective was a key motivation for the Western Balkans to implement reforms and positive trends. "Slovenia will work towards enlargement remaining at the top of the EU agenda. We believe Croatia should be given a chance to start accession negotiations with the EU as soon as possible," Rupel stated.
The officials also discussed the reasons for the rejection of the EU constitution at French and Dutch referendums, agreeing that European institutions and their work should be brought closer to EU citizens.
Rupel briefed Fouere about Slovenia's preparations for the EU presidency, saying the country was tackling the challenge with utmost responsibility. They both agreed that EU presidency was an opportunity for every country to prove itself on the international scene, the ministry added.

Fouere Pays Farewell Visit to FM

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