Slovenian President Borut Pahor on Tuesday welcomed an agreement on the settlement of the Ljubljanska bank dispute, based on which the Slovenian parliament ratified Croatia's EU accession treaty earlier today, as a watershed after which the two countries would turn towards dealing with economic and financial problems.
"Those good relations are the legacy of Croatia and Slovenia. Both peoples will benefit from them and in such an atmosphere it's possible to achieve new feats," Pahor told Croatian Television.
"Both Slovenia and Croatia can now focus on the economy, financial and social problems. There are no more reasons to have a backdrop of danger that mistrust, even hostility, will further deepen those problems," he said.
"We can be proud that we know how to solve issues which no one else could solve like (we did)," he said, adding that "neighbouring countries with bilateral issues are asking us for the model, for advice on how we solved it. This is all the more reason for Zagreb and Ljubljana to feel self-confident."
Pahor went on to say that there were many "unused opportunities" in the cooperation between the two countries, from tourism to energy, "and we mustn't miss them." He said his visit to Croatian President Ivo Josipovic together with a business delegation in May would contribute to that.
Pahor said that although the European Union was in crisis, it was better to be inside than outside the EU.
"I'm confident that Europe will find the way out of the political, economic and social crisis and secure peace and even greater well-being," he said, adding that "the alliance of Croatia and Slovenia will echo around the region.
He said the Western Balkan countries must join the EU and that Slovenia and Croatia could set an example by the way in which they dealt with their problems.
