President Türk Receives Representatives of the National Council of Carinthian Slovenes

Ljubljana, 11.9.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today received representatives of the National Council of Carinthian Slovenes (Narodni svet koro¹kih Slovencev, NSKS) on the occasion of the Council's 60th anniversary. After the meeting, President Türk described the NSKS as an organisation which has been firmly dedicated to the fundamental political and legal principles of representing the Slovene national community in Austrian Carinthia. According to Dr Türk, the NSKS features appropriate flexibility and ingenuity in its quest for new political and other methods for regulating the situation of the Slovene minority.

When asked by journalists about the notification of the Austrian State Treaty (AST), President Türk answered that he has always advocated the Slovenian notification of AST succession. In his opinion, this would be a completely normal move to also formally confirm the previous Slovenian efforts in respect of its status as a country which is entirely legitimately concerned with the situation of Slovenes living in Austria. There are many reasons for this position, such as the common border with Austria, the Slovene minority and other AST provisions. The Slovenian President also recalled that Austria has done a great deal to regulate the situation of the German-speaking population in South Tyrol. According to Dr Türk, these examples and comparisons also have an effect.

After the meeting, NSKS President Karel Smolle said that he was pleased by the clarity of President Türk's elaboration of the role of this organisation. Mr Smolle emphasised that the Treaty cannot be regarded as a private Austrian affair, because it concerns all neighbours with legal interest. In his opinion, the AST succession notification by Slovenia could take place quite soon, while giving Austria sufficient time to implement certain rights relating to the Slovene minority, such as bilingual place names, official language, and kindergartens and education system, which are typical requirements of the Slovene minority. President Türk also stressed the importance of better economic cooperation.