US Ambassador Believes Slovenia Will Be Successful EU President
US Ambassador to Slovenia Thomas B. Robertson said on Tuesday that Slovenia was able to successfully preside over the EU. However, the main question, according to him, was whether Slovenia would be remembered for its stint as EU president.
Speaking at a breakfast of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ljubljana, Robertson said that the US will stand by Slovenia during the presidency. I want Slovenia to succeed, as the two countries share interests in several of the areas Slovenia has marked as the priorities of its presidency, he added.
According to the ambassador, who is leaving the post this summer after three years, EU presidency is an "opportunity to put Slovenia on the map". He believes Slovenians are able to put their country on the big stage, which will however require that they cooperate and shed the feeling of smallness and irrelevance.
Slovenia is a role model for all countries in transition and a symbol of the EU's successful enlargement, said the ambassador, adding that the country had made great progress in its 16 years of independence.
Robertson highlighted among the biggest achievements of his term a significant increase in Slovenia's participation in international peacekeeping missions.
He said that he was satisfied with plans of a major American investment in Slovenian tourism, but added that there was not enough investment coming from small US companies.
Turning to relations between the EU and the US, Robertson said the EU was the most important economic partner of the US, also cooperating in security issues and peacekeeping operations.
He rejected claims that a powerful Europe was not in the interest of the US, saying that the EU and US shared the same values, and are therefore capable of cooperating successfully.
The ambassador also discussed the issue of the EU treaty, saying that although the treaty was not directly related to the US, Washington supported efforts for the resolution of the crisis.
A solution of the issue would help Europe to turn away from internal issues and enable it to play an even more important role on the international stage, said Robertson.
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