President Klaus in Slovakia

Czech President Vaclav Klaus and his Slovak counterpart Ivan Gasparovic have both maintained that a bilateral agreement on border controls need not be formal. The two presidents met during Mr Klaus' one day official visit to Slovakia on Thursday. Since Czechoslovakia split into the two countries after the so-called "Velvet Divorce" of 1993, controls along their respective borders have been of a symbolic nature. However, with Slovaks and Czechs in the European Union, they are required to introduce any unusual border controls with an official bilateral agreement.

During his visit, Mr Klaus also said he did not expect a Czech referendum on Turkey's accession to the EU. Besides holding talks with Mr Gasparovic, the Czech president also received an honorary doctorate at the University of Economics in Bratislava and signed his books in a bookshop in the city centre. Thursday's trip is Mr Klaus' second visit to Slovakia in six months.

Author: Dita Asiedu