PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, MILAN KUCAN, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARITIME AND TRAFFIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IN PIRAN

Piran, 28 March 1997


In his formal speech on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Maritime and Traffic University College in Piran, President of the Republic of Slovenia Mr. Milan Kucan touched among other things on relations with neighbouring Italy and Croatia

"Our sea is the meeting point of three states, three neighbours. It is now, and we shall act so it will always remain, a sea of peace and cooperation and not a sea of conflict and division. The present Italian foreign policy, which considers Slovenia as a partner in its economic orientation towards the East, now holds a view of our common life that is equal to ours. This is a great historic opportunity for us to conduct our relations and our coexistence in this area assigned to us by history according to good sense and mutual interest, which was not the case on several occasions in the past. Such an orientation is also important to the life, the development, and the pervading atmosphere along the sea coast shared by the Slovenes and the Italians living on both sides of the border. Both need good neighbours and open borders; both desire a sea of peace and cooperation; and both desire that in the areas where they live their culture and their historical presence are recognized and their rights are respected and protected. Neither country wants these issues to become a stumbling block to bilateral relations."