In the first half of July, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša went on a five-day official visit to the United States of America.
He visited Cleveland, the largest centre of Slovenians living in the USA, where he met the Senator George V. Voinovich, the Mayor of the City of Cleveland, Frank J. Jackson, and the Slovenian community. The PM then travelled to Washington where he met President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, US Senators, and Members of the Congress. The visit confirmed a mutual interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation and the countries’ strategic partnership within the Transatlantic Alliance.
The PM took this opportunity to thank everyone for their support for Slovenia's independence process, and gaining international recognition. Mr Janša stressed that it was the Slovenes living in the USA who should be credited for passing on the truth about Slovenia's independence efforts to American leaders. He also thanked them for their support for the democratisation process in Slovenia, and the country's accession to NATO.
Continuing his official visit to the USA, the PM has visited the White House, where he was welcomed by US President George Bush. After a very successful meeting, Mr Bush thanked the Slovenian Prime Minister for briefing him on the situation in the region. He stressed that Mr Janša was a man with a clear vision, who understood how to approach problems and thus achieve the best possible results. ''And so the fact that you talked about the Balkans in such clear fashion will help us work with you to achieve certain objectives. I want to thank you for that,'' said Mr Bush, who also recalled his visit to Slovenia. He said that after returning home, he had told people that Slovenia was an interesting 'slice of heaven', with wonderful people.
The visit of the Slovenian PM to the USA also focused on economic cooperation between the two countries. The PM stressed in his talks with US Administration representatives, and in his address at the US Chamber of Commerce, that there remained ample opportunities for economic cooperation, particularly in the area of investment.
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