Slovenian and Italian FMs Discuss Adriatic Issues

New York, 19 September

Italian FM Gianfranco Fini reassured his Slovenian counterpart Dimitrij Rupel that Italy would not want to act to the detriment of any Adriatic country, as they met on the margins of a UN General Assembly session in New York on Sunday.

Italy's recent talks with Croatia on the continental shelf in the Adriatic were merely technical in nature, explained Fini, who pledged Slovenia would be included in talks on the matter.
Rupel and Fini also established that both countries share an interest in ecological and economic matters in the Adriatic. They believe that all countries along the Adriatic should be included in talks concerning the protection and use of the sea.
Another topic they discussed was obstacles to the implementation of the law on the safeguarding of the Slovenian minority. Rupel expressed a hope that Italy would do its best to enable the Parity Board - a body tasked with compiling a list of municipalities where the act would apply - to do its job.
The artworks which Italian authorities took to Italy from the Slovenian towns of Koper and Piran before WWII was another topic, yet only touched upon. Among the EU-related matters, Rupel and Fini urged a prompt agreement on the next financial perspective.
The Slovenian foreign minister also met yesterday his counterparts from Macedonia and Thailand, Ilinka Mitreva and Kantathi Supamongkol, respectively.
He reassured Mitreva about Slovenia's support for Macedonia's aspiration to become an EU candidate. Mitreva told him Macedonia expects to get the status of candidate in November, when the EU makes its final assessment of its preparedness.
A meeting with the Thai foreign minister focused on the potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Rupel stressed that Slovenia would like to improve trade with Thailand, the country he visited last year with a strong business delegation.

Slovenian and Italian FMs Discuss Adriatic Issues

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