Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič has met with Chinese President Hu Jintao while in China for the Beijing Olympics. The state leaders discussed their countries' relationship and hopes for the future.
President Hu Jintao said that mutual relations have been good in the past years – including events like Prime Minister Robert Fico's trips to China. Both countries have realized high-level exchanges, strengthened political trust, extended co-operation in various fields and agreed on co-ordination regarding international issues. Slovakia is considered to be a friend and a trustworthy partner, said Hu as quoted by news wire TASR.
Gašparovič told the Chinese president that Slovakia respects China's influence in international matters and hopes that their co-operation will deepen and that their mutual relations will develop further. Gašparovič said he considers the Beijing Olympics to be the best prepared and the most successful of the four he has been to so far. Hu Jintao said Gašparovič was "a close friend of the Chinese people", and highlighted his effort to strengthen Chinese-Slovak relations over the years. Gašparovič visited China in 1995 as a Slovak Parliamentary Chairman, a position he held 1992-98. TASR
