Minister Oskanian arrived in Ljublana, Slovenia, on October 23 to continue his official visit to the two Balkan countries: Croatia and Slovenia.

On Friday, October 24, Minister Oskanian met with Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. The two ministers, who had met frequently within the framework of international forums, assessed existing relations and cooperation between the two countries very positively. Minister Oskanian's visit to Slovenia complemented Minister Rupel's visit to Armenia last April.

They agreed to continue to meet frequently at the level of deputy ministers and heads of departments. Such meetings were considered especially important in light of the fact that Slovenia will take on the chairmanship of the OSCE in 2005.

The ministers agreed to accelerate the process of securing the legal framework necessary for future cooperation. The Slovenian side expressed an interest in quickly negotiating and signing agreements on agriculture and transport.

Minister Oskanian noted that Armenia can learn much from the process Slovenia underwent to achieve accession to the EU. In May 2004, when Slovenia becomes a full member of the European Union, the Partnership for Peace agreement that Armenia has signed with the EU will also apply to Slovenia, and thus provide new prospects for bilateral cooperation.

In their discussions, Armenia's Minister presented the situation in the Southern Caucasus, the process of negotiations over Nagorno Karabagh, Armenia-Turkey relations and developments surrounding Iran. Slovenia's Minister highlighted the process of EU accession and the political discussions surrounding that topic within Slovenian society. He also spoke about the affects of global events, particularly the situation in Iraq, on Slovenia.

On the same day, Minister Oskanian also met with Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop. The two focused their discussions on economic cooperation between the two countries. Taking into consideration the high rate of economic growth in Slovenia, they agreed that exchange visits between Armenian and Slovenian businessmen, exhibitions, business forums, would greatly strengthen cooperation between the relevant ministries and would help create the necessary conditions for increased trade between the two. They also agreed that greater cooperation in the fields of education, culture and science would be useful.

Minister Oskanian had held similar discussions about economic cooperation on the previous day when he met with the head of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. All Slovenian companies -- 63,700 of them -- are members of the Chamber and the Chamber's president described the country's economic policies which have allowed these companies to grow and to result in a Gross Domestic Product which is greater than those of Greece or Portugal. Both officials agreed to establish ties between the Slovenian and Armenian development agencies, as well as between the Slovenian and the Armenian chamber of commerce. The Slovenian side also promised to organize training programs on economic management.

Minister Oskanian concluded his Balkans trip on Friday, October 24 and returned to Yerevan on October 25.

With Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia

With FM of Slovenia

Joint Press Conference with FM of Slovenia

With FM of Slovenia

With Prime Minister of Slovenia