President Lennart Meri, whose state visit to Italy began today, met the Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro at Quirinale Palace, Rome.

The main topics of the meeting were economic relations and possibilities for visa freedom. According to President Meri, the economic ties between the countries have been strong, but Estonia can offer Italy further opportunities for the advancement of production, considering the possibilities of Estonian ports and the rest of the infrastructure as well as the profitable ratio between the quality and cost of manpower.

Talking of visa freedom, President Meri pointed out that Estonia would be the only country having to apply for an entrance visa to go to Brussels for European Union entry talks next week. The abolition of the visa requirement will come up in greater detail at the meeting with Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini tonight.

President Scalfaro celebrated Estonia for its economic as well as political success. Recalling his visit to Tallinn in May last, Scalfaro said he had felt very much at home in Estonia, which proved that Estonia is part and parcel of Europe. And the favourable decision of the European Union was not meant as a present to Estonia, said Scalfaro; it was just a confirmation of the fact that Estonia is part of Europe.

Italy had attentively followed the conclusion of the US-Baltic Charter. President Scalfaro considered it a good opportunity for Estonia to have displayed itself in the light of the sensitive relationship between NATO and Russia.

Estonian-Italian relations were described by Scalfaro as very good. He suggested that bilateral meetings should lay emphasis on the importance of cultural contacts.

According to the Italian head of state, there is no doubt that Estonia will make its way through the negotiations, and this is what the Italian government wants to happen.

President Meri said Estonia was pleased that Italy supports the enlargement of the European Union into all the countries that are ready for it. It is an early EU membership of Latvia and Lithuania that is important to Estonia. Meri declared that Estonia's accession would not bring along any problems to the European Union. Speaking of the problem of aliens in Estonia, Meri noted that young non-Estonians were in favour of EU membership.

Speaking of NATO, the Estonian President mentioned that Estonia was regarding the US-Baltic Charter as a step forward after the Madrid declaration. NATO membership is a foreign policy goal for Estonia.

President Scalfaro affirmed that the Italian government did have a political will to promote relations with Estonia.


Press Service of the President's Office
Kadriorg, 26 March 1998

back | archive of press releases | main page