SPEECH BY THE HON EDWARD FENECH-ADAMI, PRIME MINISTER, AT THE DINNER HOSTED IN HONOUR OF MR MIKULAS DZURINDA, PRIME MINISTER OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, AND MRS DZURINDOVA, AT AUBERGE DE CASTILLE, VALLETTA

It is indeed an honour for me, on behalf of the people and Government of Malta, to extend a warmest welcome to you, to Mrs Dzurindova and to the other members of your delegation.

I am only too pleased to reciprocate the wonderful hospitality I received during my visit to Bratislava just over a year ago. Then, I gained a valuable insight into the strengths, values and aspirations of your people. I was also given the opportunity to witness at first hand the growth and development achieved by the Slovak Republic, in the relatively short span of time since it shed an ideology that shackled its economy and deprived its people of freedom.

My visit confirmed that, as fellow travellers on the road towards membership of the European Union, our two countries would benefit from greater co-operation and dialogue, as we both confront the challenges of negotiating with the Union, while simultaneously preparing our legislative, institutional and economic structures for accession.

In this context, I am sure you will agree that the most significant conclusion of that May visit was a mutual commitment to intensifying relations between Malta and Slovakia, in the light of the common priorities and processes which we are undergoing.

Your visit here today, therefore, testifies to the success of that initiative, particularly since it follows the visits to the Slovak Republic by our President, as well as the Speaker of our House of Representatives, earlier this year.

Mr Prime Minister

I am sure that the discussions we will be having tomorrow will continue to solidify the co-operation and dialogue between our two countries, both within a European context, as well as on a bilateral and multilateral level.

Both our countries have already achieved significant progress in their accession negotiations with the European Union. The encouraging number of chapters provisionally closed by each of our countries indicates that both Malta and Slovakia fulfil the main political and economic criteria required for membership. Similarly, the scale and complexity of the different forms of restructuring being carried out in both our countries attests to the commitment we share to equip our key socio-economic sectors for membership as effectively as possible.

May I take the opportunity to salute your tireless and unstinting efforts in this regard – indeed, your leadership bears the hallmarks of the drive, stamina and energy which has steered you successfully through many a marathon.

I am sure that we are both pleased with the clear signals emerging from the Gottenburg Summit that the enlargement timeframe established in Nice appears to be on track, and that the Union continues to set the conclusion of negotiations with the candidate countries as one of its main priorities.

As the pace of negotiations will undoubtedly intensify as deadlines loom closer, I augur that Malta and the Slovak Republic will continue to collaborate together in a sustained spirit of dialogue.

I am also confident that this collaboration will translate into tangible results on a bilateral level. Tomorrow, we will conclude and sign a comprehensive Health Agreement between our two countries. A Cultural Co-operation Agreement is also at an advanced stage, and once completed, should pave the way for high-quality events which will complement the cultural calendar of both our countries.

On the economic and commercial front, we have concluded an agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation that should assist us in building the foundations for improving our bilateral trade and investment. During the last visit of your Foreign Minister to Malta, we also signed an Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments which has facilitated commercial bilateral exchanges.

Success has also been achieved in our common fight against crime. Last year, in Bratislava, we signed an Agreement on Co-operation in Combating Organised Crime which should strengthen our efforts in the combatting drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime. I know that this commitment is shared by Slovakia, which has been identified as the Regional Centre for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, under the auspices of the United Nations Office for Drug Control.

Slovakia has shown itself to be a highly credible player at an international level, both willing and able to play its part in seeking solutions to world problems. In the Council of Europe, the OSCE and in the various bodies within the United Nations, we have demonstrated the ability to co-operate closely on issues of mutual interest. We will accordingly support Slovakia's bid to gain a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the year 2006 to 2007.

This determination inspires our own efforts to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing struggle to maintain international peace and security. Malta has consistently played a significant role in issues related to the Mediterranean and Euro-Mediterranean relations. This is not only a natural outcome of our particular geographical situation, but also because we strongly believe that there can be no peace in Europe without peace in the Mediterranean.

This role will undoubtedly gain in importance and weight once we become a member of the European Union. Our membership will bring to the Union a particular insight to the Mediterranean dimension of European Security and Co-operation. In the words of the President of the Commission of the European Communities, Professor Romano Prodi, :

"to have Malta in the EU will be of benefit to us all. Malta will make an invaluable contribution to this increasing Mediterranean engagement, especially through your particular regional insight and identity".

Mr Prime Minister,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The sustained development of both our countries into more open, competitive societies, with an ever-improving quality of life for their citizens, is a goal that we both share. We also share the firm conviction that membership of the European Union is the best, indeed the only realistic way that this goal may be achieved.

Together, building on our bilateral strengths and opportunities for multilateral co-operation, we can make this vision a reality.

May I now ask you to rise and drink to the health of the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic.