President of the Republic confers decorations
Ljubljana, 02/22/2007 | press release
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Janez Drnovšek, today conferred decorations at a special ceremony held at Brdo Castle. The Golden Order of Services was conferred on Cvetko Kobal, Prof. Dr. Anton Dolenc (his wife, Mrs. Marija Dolenc, received the decoration on his behalf), and Prof. Dr. Ernest Petrič, the Order of Services was awarded to Dr. Pavel Štular, Dr. Mirko Cuderman, Mag. Darjo Felda, Dr. Matjaž Željko and Dr. Gregor Dolinar, and the Medal for Services was received by Gerard Drese.
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Janez Drnovšek, awarded the Golden Order of Services to: Cvetko Kobal in recognition of his work and contribution for the benefit of the Slovenian nation and particularly for establishing and building the institutional and economic foundations of the Republic of Slovenia as an independent state; Prof. Dr. Anton Dolenc in recognition of his research work in pathology and forensic medicine, as well as for his professional work in the area of medical ethics and deontology, his achievements in the professional, social and international promotion of the Slovenian medical profession, for the efficient organization of its cultural activity, and for his personal artistic creativity, reflected in well known paintings; Prof. Dr. Ernest Petrič in recognition of his contribution to the beginnings of the democratisation process in Slovenia (action of 25 Members of Parliament) and for his longstanding work and contribution to the development of Slovenian diplomacy in academic and theoretical aspects of international relations, on the occasion of his 70th anniversary.
The Order for Services was conferred by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Janez Drnovšek, on: Dr. Pavel Štular in recognition of his pioneer work in scientific research and the development of welding; Dr. Mirko Cuderman for his outstanding contribution to Slovenian choral music; Mag. Darjo Felda, Dr. Matjaž Željko and Dr. Gregor Dolinar in recognition of their outstandingly successful work in organizing the 47th International Mathematical Olympiad 2006.
The Medal for Services was awarded by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Janez Drnovšek, to Gerard Drese for his personal contribution and support to Slovenia during its war for independence.
After the awards were conferred, the President of the Republic of Slovenia,
Dr. Janez Drnovšek, addressed the gathering:
»It is a pleasure to be able to confer these decorations on you, who have all attained such excellence in your respective fields. These decorations are bestowed on those who have accomplished work that exceeds the standard level and have contributed to society, the country or mankind more than is customary.
They are bestowed when someone has done more than required by professional duties or career or current personal position. It thus happens when this person has done something outstanding, something of benefit to others, something that helps others in their lives and their development. This extra something adds a special quality to our common lives, to all human forms of co-existence, to countries, humanity, only when a person can exceed his or her narrow, selfish interest and do something more for others, a nation, humankind. This is then something that is worth admiring and recognising. You have all done something extra in your individual fields, so you have contributed to the development of our country or even the wider environment.
Allow me to congratulate you once more for your exceptional achievements, for your life to date and express the hope that this decoration can be at least partial reward for what you have accomplished, for all you have done that has surpassed what was expected of you. Thank you.”
Mr. Cvetko Kobal, decorated with the Golden Order for Services, expressed thanks on behalf of the recipients by saying:
"Esteemed President, it is a great honour and privilege for me to have the opportunity to thank you on this solemn occasion on behalf of the holders of decorations.
It is hard to express the feelings that we experienced when we heard the news of this recognition by the political leadership of Slovenia. This honour and the joy it has given us make us deeply indebted to our country and we feel obliged to continue doing our outmost for the benefit of all our citizens and Slovenia, in the future.
Mr. President, we also conceive today's decorations as a message of the Slovene public that our society has not forgotten individuals who, in the distant and more recent past, have contributed to the best of their abilities and the circumstances in which they worked, to the historical process of creating Slovene statehood and, finally, the state itself, and also those who have contributed through their work to exceptional achievements in the fields of medicine, music and science, and all those, too, who have not yet been so fortunate as to receive such recognition as we have partaken in today.
Regretfully, one holder of the decoration, Prof. Dr. Anton Dolenc, could not be with us today, so his spouse, Mrs. Marija Dolenc, has come in his place to bring to us his thoughts about the decoration, which he considers to be an award for joint work, which he receives with gratitude for the fact that many team projects and initiatives are still taking place today.
We are especially happy to receive this award from you, Mr. President, a tireless fighter for the human rights that form the basis of every democratic society. Thank you for the appreciation that you have shown us, and allow us to wish you further success and satisfaction in your work. Thank you all.”