Slovenia and Poland target EU , NATO membership .
LJUBLJANA 1996-08-27
Slovenia and Poland pledged to intensify cooperation on Tuesday and reinforced their determination to join the European Union and NATO at the earliest possible date .
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and his Slovenian counterpart , Milan Kucan , met for talks at the start of a two-day visit to Slovenia by Kwasniewski .
It was their fourth meeting this year .
They said in a statement they agreed to have regular telephone contact to discuss progress in strengthening ties with the West .
" We expect our cooperation will help both countries towards entering the European Union and NATO , " Kwasniewski said .
" We have similar ambitions as far as our internal development and international life is concerned , " Kucan said .
Poland and Slovenia are hoping to be among the first group of former eastern bloc countries to join the European Union and NATO .
They have already signed an association agreement with the European Union and are both part of the Central European Free Trade Area , which also comprises Hungary , Slovakia and the Czech Republic .
Slovenia 's trade with Poland rose to $ 142.3 million in 1995 from $ 118.8 million in 1994 .
During his visit to Slovenia , Kwasniewski is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek , representatives of Slovenian political parties and representatives of the Chamber of Economy .