BERTIE AHERN flies out at lunchtime today for a three-day visit to central and eastern Europe, that will take in Slovenia, Austria and Poland. The Taoiseach will also address the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
During today's visit to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, he will have meetings and a working dinner with prime minister Janez Jansa as well as making a call on President Danilo Turk.
Slovenia currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union.
Travelling on to Vienna tomorrow morning, Mr Ahern will deliver his OSCE address at the Hofburg Palace.
This will be followed by meetings with Austria's president Heinz Fischer and chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.
The Taoiseach will arrive in Warsaw on Thursday morning where he will meet the prime minister Donald Tusk and attend a reception hosted by the Irish-Polish business community.
Developments following Kosovo's declaration of independence and the wider issue of stability in the western Balkans, as well as deployment of the EU military force in Chad, to which Ireland and of Slovenia have contributed troops, are also likely to feature in the Taoiseach's discussions in Ljubljana today.