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Tadic Praises Slovakia's Stance vis-a-vis Kosovo's Independence
Thursday 03 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Belgrade, December 3 (TASR) - Slovakia's stance on Kosovo's declaration of independence has special meaning for Serbia, Serbian President Boris Tadic said following a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Ivan Gasparovic in Belgrade on Thursday.
At the same time, Tadic praised the current level of Slovak-Serbian relations, which, as he said, are at the best ever level in the history of bilateral ties between the two countries.
"We won't forsake our two primary goals. The first is our effort for membership in the European Union, and we're grateful to Slovakia for the candid support it has shown us in the past few years. The second (goal) is the preservation of the integrity of Kosovo and Metohija," said Tadic.
"I'm expressing my satisfaction with the personal stance of Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic and the official stance of Slovakia, which has not recognised Kosovo's independence, and has expressed its position before the International Court of Justice. This stance means a great deal to Serbia," the Serbian head of state added.
In this regard, Gasparovic pledged that Slovakia's stance vis-a-vis Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is not going to change. As well, Gasparovic praised Serbia for the support it is lending to the ethnic Slovak minority living in Serbia and the preservation of the minority's identity.
"On the other hand, I'm very glad and proud of our Slovaks, who live here as Serbians and feel themselves to be Serbia's citizens. This is very important, as not all ethnic minorities always express their loyalty to the state in which they live," Gasparovic said pointedly.
Later in the day, Gasparovic is set to meet Serbian Premier Mirko Cvetkovic before both delivering a speech at the Serbian-Slovak Enterprise Forum.
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