President Lennart Meri received Mr. Janez Podobnik, Speaker of the Slovenian Parliament, and his accompanying delegation in Kadriorg today, on the final day of the Mr. Podobnik's and his delegation's official visit to Estonia.
On the meeting the bilateral relations between Estonia and Slovenia and co-operation in the field of integration to the international organisations, which has brought the Estonian and Slovenian political strategies closer to each other, were discussed. Both states have been invited to the first round of the EU accession negotiations, and thus the Estonian Head of State and the Speaker of Parliament of Slovenia both emphasised the need for exchange of information and more specific co-operation.
Both Estonia and Slovenia see themselves as prospective NATO members. President Meri mentioned that NATO is an important defence alliance and the main generator for both countries. As Janez Podobnik said, Slovenia hopes to be accepted to the second round of the NATO expansion; this hope is founded on the fact that Slovenia functions as a bridge between two NATO countries – Italy and Hungary. The Estonian President and the Speaker of the Slovenian Parliament also discussed NATO-s balancing influence in the north-south direction, or, more specifically, the prospects for the regulation of the Kosovo conflict.
Janez Podobnik mentioned that the potential of economic co-operation between the two countries has as yet not been fully utilized. He added that tourist contacts and student exchange between Estonia and Slovenia should also be developed further.

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