President Lennart Meri today offered dinner to the Foreign Ministers of the countries invited to the EU accession negotiations – Jan Kavan, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Janos Martony, Foreign Minister of Hungary, Bronislaw Geremek, Foreign Minister of Poland, Boris Frlec, Foreign the Chief Minister Slovenia, George Vassiliou, Chief Negotiator of Cyprus, and Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Foreign Minister of Estonia.

In his greeting to the six Foreign Ministers President Meri said that they have sent a strong signal to the countries of the European Union of their wish to conclude the accession negotiations for the year 2000, or 2001 at the latest. President Meri also said that it is important for the European Union to be open and close to all the citizens of Europe, as the Union first and foremost affects their lives. The decision to accede to the European Union
must, in one way or another, be taken by the people, President Meri said. As President Meri said, the people will vote in favour of the EU accession only if they are convinced that the voices of the Estonians, the Polish, the Czechs, the Hungarians, the Slovenians and the Cypriots will be heard in the corridors of Brussels.

The President welcomed the Foreign Ministers' support to inviting new states to the accession negotiations. This shows that we are not only glad to hold accession negotiations ourselves, but also pleased that our friends and neighbours have been invited. All the states acceding to the European Union, must certainly answer the Copenhagen and Luxembourg criteria, President Meri reiterated.

As the Estonian President said, the European security policy is important – the European Union's transatlantic relations with the United States of America and Canada have to remain strong. The new European Union will have to retain good relations with its eastern neighbours – Ukraine and Russia are important partners for the EU and no new barriers must be built merely ten years after the old ones have been broken down.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 11, 1999

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