Switzerland opens new embassy in Slovenia
The Swiss foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, has completed a one day visit to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, where he held talks with top politicians and attended the opening of the new Swiss embassy.
During the day Deiss met his Slovenian counterpart, Dimitrij Rupel, the Slovenian president, Milan Kucan, and the newly re-elected prime minister, Janez Drnovsek.
With Rupel, he discussed the importance of international collaboration in the fight against terrorism with Rupel speaking about his republic’s progress since its independence in 1991 and its efforts to integrate into Europe.
In the evening Deiss attended the opening of the new Swiss embassy, which will give Switzerland its first full diplomatic representation in the republic.
Bern and Ljubljana have had diplomatic and economic relations since the republic broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991. The bilateral relationship between the two countries improved two years ago, when Deiss welcomed the former Slovenian foreign minister in Bern.
Slovenia’s economic growth has been impressive since its independence. The small republic with a population of two million saw its gross domestic product per inhabitant increase by 70 per cent between 1996 and 2000.
Switzerland exports goods worth SFr200 million ($120 million) to Slovenia each year.
Slovenia is a candidate to join the European Union, along with 12 other eastern European nations.
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