Addressing participants of the 12th summit of presidents of Central European countries in Zagreb on Friday, Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek underlined the importance of further EU enlargement as a means of preventing new divisions.
Drnovsek said that without further enlargement the continent would be divided in 20 years into a Europe of prosperity and a Europe of poverty, social tensions and possible regional conflicts.
The Slovenian president thus urged the EU to welcome countries of the Western Balkans as well as states like Moldova and Ukraine.
Europe as a fortress is not an option, the Slovenian president said, stressing the need to spread the prosperity of the Union to neighbouring countries and to act as a positive element in international politics.
The EU has to search for answers to the biggest challenges of the future - poverty, climate change and the creation of conditions for a stable world.
These can not only be achieved for individual countries and a part of the world, Drnovsek highlighted as part of a debate on "how to conclude the process of European integration."
The president also took the opportunity to congratulate the hosting country of the summit on its recent launch of accession negotiations with the EU.
Drnovsek said Slovenia supports this development, as Croatia is its neighbour, making Croatia's progress and European prospects a vital Slovenian interest. The move proves that the EU door also remains open to other countries in the region.
He also praised the decision of the EU to start talks with Turkey. According to him, the accession of the Muslim country should prove beneficial to the EU and would also serve as a good example to the rest of the world in terms of reconciling different cultures and religions as a means of preventing further conflicts.
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