Environment, Western Balkans Top Jansa-Stoltenberg Talks
International issues, in particular the Western Balkans and environmental issues, topped the agenda of talks on Tuesday between Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his Norwegian counterpart Jens Stoltenberg. "Norway is a country of best practices for Slovenia," in particular as regards the environment, Jansa told the press after the meeting.
As the presiding EU country in the first half of 2008, Slovenia will coordinate common efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This will be no easy task and Norway's experience will be welcome, the Slovenian prime minister said.
According to Stoltenberg, Norway has been developing new technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, including capturing CO2 and storing it underground. He said Norway wanted to forge closer ties with the EU in this field. Looking at the environmental summit in Copenhagen, scheduled for 2009, Stoltenberg said the new binding agreement to be reached there should be more ambitious than the existing Kyoto Protocol.
The prime ministers also discussed the Western Balkans, in particular the Kosovo issue. Stoltenberg, who arrived in Slovenia from Belgrade, said Slovenia's experience and views on the situation in the region were very precious. Norway and Slovenia share the view that the solution to the Kosovo issue needs to be as coordinated as possible between Belgrade and Pristina, the prime ministers said.
According to Jansa, the complex situation renders it impossible to find the best solution. "But we are in favour of the second-best solution, which would have maximum support on both sides and bring long-term stability."
Jansa and Stoltenberg also voiced support for NATO expansion, as Croatia, Macedonia and Albania are expected to get membership invitations at the Bucharest summit next year. The alliance's door should however remain open, in particular for Serbia, Jansa added.
In bilateral cooperation, Jansa and Stoltenberg voiced the call for the strengthening of economic cooperation and announced the signing of an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation.
Jansa said there were also ample opportunities in power generation, furniture industry and tourism, the latter to be boosted by a new direct air link between Ljubljana and Oslo, to be launched in April.
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