9 March 2006
The Prime Minister has held talks with his Slovak counterpart Mikulas Dzurinda. It is the first time that a British Prime Minister has been to the country.
Parts of this transcript may have been edited
Read the press conference in full:
Mr Mikulas Dzurinda:
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I welcome you to this press conference on the occasion of the visit of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to Slovakia. I am very happy to experience this historic event. It is the first visit of a British Prime Minister to Slovakia as an independent sovereign country.
You will know that I have met Mr Blair several times. I have visited him in his office, we meet quite frequently in European institutions. But I think that such bilateral visits have … importance, we can discuss topical issues in dialogue, and I think it helps us to communicate … with our fellow citizens to inform them what are the issues of our policies, what we want to achieve for our countries, what we want to achieve for our common Europe.
I am very happy that we will be able to send such a signal to my fellow citizens, together with Mr Blair, tomorrow. I am looking forward to our evening tonight to have the opportunity to continue in our bilateral discussions. I am looking forward to the discussions we will have with our students tomorrow, because we will have a discussion with the students at Comenius University about our future and common issues. I can tell you that I am very happy that we have a common agenda with the United Kingdom and that we see the future of the United Kingdom, Slovakia and Europe in education.
I realise very well that … will be well educated, they will have better opportunities to get good jobs, and they will have also a better opportunity to be better people, honest people, people that are sought after. Secondly, the visit of Mr Blair is a good opportunity for me to say something about my long lasting experience with our cooperation. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate highly Mr Blair’s leadership, not only in his country, but also in the European policy. Mr Blair is a European leader today, a leader who in a very courageous way supports from the very beginning the truth in the international fight against terrorism. I appreciate what Mr Blair has done, also because he managed to start very serious reforms in his country, which is very similar to what we do here, and I have my own experience of how difficult it is with respect to people, how difficult it is to present such decisions to people. The United Kingdom is today a country which is a dynamically developing country, a leader not only in Europe, but also on a larger scale, also due to these courageous reforms.
I also appreciate what Mr Blair has done because he managed to post this very important issue in the agenda of Europe, which is the agenda of the reform of European institutions. Thanks to Mr Blair we were able to approve the financial perspective and due to him we were able to approve a budget much better than the original proposal, and I only want to remind you that it was the United Kingdom and Mr Blair who was presiding the EU in the second half of last year when we managed under his skilful and wise management, managed to approve. I want to remind you that it was the British Presidency when we have started negotiations, not only with Turkey but also Croatia.
And I also feel the need to say another thing. Mr Blair has changed the traditional approach to the division of … usually it will be divided between the left wing and the right wing and we would all try to get in the centre, but Mr Blair, due to his courageous and very honest fundamental steps in politics, is drawing other dividing lines among politicians, lines which say that if we have to divide then we are divided into those who are brave enough and those who behave in such a way, thinking that OK there is someone else to do the job instead of us. Mr Blair has shown the dividing line between those who want to do real honest policy, and those who rather speculate and want to win votes for their parties. And I also appreciate highly that he showed the difference between the responsible policy and a populist policy.
After my seven and a half years in office, I think today is the right moment to say this, and to say my wish that the Slovak Prime Minister shall always try to be a member of the group of those politicians who are led by Tony Blair. And therefore I am so happy to see him coming to Slovakia, and I am very happy to be able to say that we could cooperate together in the difficult European issues, and I would like to thank him that he achieved to come to Slovakia despite his very busy agenda. So thank you very much Tony for coming.
Prime Minister:
Well first of all, can I say what an honour it is to be the first British Prime Minister to visit the independent sovereign country of Slovakia, and to say that it is a particular pleasure to do so during the Premiership of this Prime Minister who is not just a good friend, but a good colleague, someone whose leadership I admire very greatly indeed.
During the course of European negotiations and discussions, and in particular in respect of some of the very difficult foreign policy decisions of the past few years, you get to know the character of the other leaders pretty well, and this is someone I think of very highly indeed and I am very pleased to be here.
We are obviously going to be discussing this evening many of the European and international issues, but we also want to discuss the question of reform and change in our societies. And there is a great deal of admiration I think for the progress that Slovakia has made in these past few years, and the strength of its economy and the commitment to making sure that it is a strong and good partner both in Europe and in NATO has been extremely important. But as I know from my own experience back in Britain, when you are undergoing a process of reform and change in difficult areas like education, certainly for me back in the UK at the moment it is a big issue, and healthcare again. When you undertake this process of change it is difficult because it is sometimes hard for people to see the long term benefit of what is a difficult, even painful, short term process, and yet in the end we know that the countries that do well today are the countries that are prepared to take the reforms and make them for the long term.
So it is a very good way I think of giving a domestic focus as well to the partnership that Britain and Slovakia have today in the European Union and in NATO. And in respect of Europe, we have a very common view and vision I think of Europe’s future, which is of a Europe that is open and dynamic, that is strongly supportive of the transatlantic alliance, and determined to make ourselves fit for the new competitive world that is not just about the competition within Europe, but the competition in the global economy.
In addition of course we have worked very closely, the two countries, in NATO and across the foreign policy issues of the world. I would like to pay tribute to the Slovak commitment in Iraq, which is immensely important, but also in the region as well. And perhaps if you will allow me I would like again to express my profound sympathy and condolences for the loss of so many people in the tragedy that occurred when your peace-keeping force was returning from Kosovo.
And finally I should say that the relationship between Britain and Slovakia takes an even more practical form in that we have many Slovaks who work in the UK today, and are most welcome there, and we have a couple of thousand Slovak students also in the UK. And the relationship between our two countries has really become very much stronger in these past few years, and I think that is a good omen for those countries that are the new members of Europe working closely with those countries that have been in the European Union for longer. But I want to say that I think that the European Union, as you know we championed the cause of enlargement, but I think the enlarged European Union, with the membership of countries like Slovakia, has really brought an energy and vitality into the European Union that I for one have found extremely worthwhile.
So Mikulas, it is a very great pleasure to be with you here today. My apologies incidentally for being a little late, but that was due to traffic problems in the UK not any traffic problems here. So with that apology, but also with my real gratitude for making us feel so welcome here, thank you very much.
Question and answer session:
Question:
Prime Minister, my first question for you. … Slovakia … gesture of support for the Slovak Prime Minister during his election campaign … support … in Prague with the clear ambition to … And the second question for both Prime Ministers … Iran nuclear programme was referred to the UN Security Council. How strong do you think was the evidence that Iran … nuclear programme … in the context, is this evidence stronger than it is of Iraq where many countries, including Britain and Slovakia, were sure and mistaken about the military threat of Iraq?
Prime Minister:
First of all, there is one rule that I have, which is that it is for the people in a country to determine their government, so it is not for me to say what should happen in an election here, that is for the people here. But obviously this is somebody I admire and respect, and there is no point in me saying anything otherwise because it is what I feel and it is true. But your election here in this country is a matter for you, and no doubt at the PES tomorrow I will see the opposition leader. I think the most important thing really is just to stress the progress you have made, and this is why I think it is important. And one of the reasons that I am here is because I think the reform programme that you are carrying through here is a reform programme that has an echo with the things that we are trying to do in our country, and it is important that we discuss, particularly in relation to things like education, how you make these reforms in the same spirit if you like. And the strange thing about today’s politics is that this can happen, from centre left leaders or centre right leaders, this is the way politics is today.
In respect of Iran, look we have a very clear process. The Atomic Energy Authority has made certain findings, this is now being discussed with all partners, it is being discussed in Vienna now, but there is one very, very clear principle, and that is that Iran should understand that the international community is of one view, that it must not breach its atomic energy obligations. And actually I would point out that Iraq indeed was in breach of its UN obligations. Iran is not Iraq incidentally, it is a different situation, but the basic position is the same, which is that obligations that are entered into in the international community should be kept, and if they aren’t then that is a serious situation and that is the reason for this discussion at the moment, and the report to the Security Council.
Mr Dzurinda:
… I don’t think that … in a democratic world is to present evidence, on the contrary I think it is the job of Iran to prove that the doubt is not justified, and I think the UN is the best platform to do so. The international democratic community should exert pressure, due pressure, to Iran so that it can be avoided, all the doubts.
Question:
Mr Blair, I wonder if I could ask you how important is it that the money, the extra money set aside by the European Union for the 10 new members like Slovakia and the Czech Republic, how important is it that that money is released quickly and efficiently? And I wonder if I could also invite you to comment on a report from the Public Accounts Committee which says that the money set aside by the government, the bridging loan to bale out Rover, was at the time, and certainly in retrospect, not taxpayers’ money well spent?
Prime Minister:
First of all I should admire the elegance with which you tie the Bratislava question to the Rover question. As a connoisseur of these press conferences I do like that. Look, I haven’t seen the PAC report, but just let me make one thing very, very clear to you. We were doing everything we can, and should have done everything we can, to try to preserve as many jobs at Rovers as possible. It was a huge issue, you will remember, at the time. Now actually we have put an awful lot of help now into getting new jobs for people, because these industrial changes happen. When the goods aren’t being able to be sold, in this case the Rover car, then there has to be massive change. We have done everything we can to support the workforce there, but no-one would have forgiven us if we hadn’t gone every inch of the way to try and save the jobs, and if we had refused to do that at the time people would have been complaining bitterly. But I haven’t seen the report, so I can’t really comment in detail.
Incidentally, in respect of the European money, yes it is extremely important now we get this through, it is different European processes, and then get the money disbursed as quickly and as well as possible. And the reason for that, and let me just emphasise this again, is that this is money that can help with the economic development in countries like Slovakia, and the faster that economic development happens, the better it is for countries like Britain. And you know all the evidence we have from the countries that have come into the European Union before is that the better that economic progress in the new member countries, then over time those new member countries then become net donors, not net recipients. It is some time away.
Question:
You were talking about movement of goods, Tony, of people from Slovakia to the UK and … How can you make that easier, because there are so many times we hear problems of people moving from Slovakia into England, and sometimes from England to here as well, lots of paperwork. How can you make that easier for the people to move around, as you are suggesting?
Prime Minister:
I think probably it is an awful lot easier for people to move between Slovakia and the UK than it was before because we have got free movement, not just of people, but of workers now with the European Union membership. And I think, is it 35,000 Slovaks who are working in the UK - some testament to that. Obviously though people have got to make sure that the proper procedures are gone through. Look, I think in time this will settle down. I think the most interesting thing is that Britain was one of the very few countries to say let’s have free movement of workers as well as people. There were many predictions of catastrophe that accompanied this decision, but actually it has not worked like that at all, people have benefited enormously, and I am sure and I hope it is a two-way traffic.
Question:
… deciding whether Ministers have broken the Ministerial Code is actually undermining public confidence in politics, and sources have told the BBC that even Gordon Brown might be sympathetic to the idea of some sort of independent panel, but that might be something that you should now be prepared to reform and change?
Prime Minister:
Well I am sorry you have come all the way to Bratislava to ask this question. Look, I have really nothing to add to what my spokesman said earlier. We have gone through this issue at different times. Do you want to ask something else?
Question:
Inaudible.
Prime Minister:
Well I think that as I say for the reasons we have given many, many times, I think it is best that the system remains as it is, but no doubt the debate will go on.
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