Working Visit of the President of the Republic to New York

New York, 27.6.2011  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Danilo Türk is currently on a working visit in New York, where in the afternoon (local time) he met the President of the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Dr. Joseph Deiss. They spoke about the significance and activities of the United Nations within the global governance system, which is also the central topic of tomorrow's topical Debate on the United Nations and Global Governance, where the President of the Republic of Slovenia will be its keynote speaker.

In the discussion, President Türk highlighted the importance of correctly understanding and respecting the relationship between responsibilities of an individual state, originating in its membership in international organisations on the one hand, and its sovereignty on the other. The President Dr. Joseph Deiss took the opportunity to thank the Republic of Slovenia for its significant and responsible contribution to the work of the United Nations Organisation. They both addressed proposals of planned UN reforms.

In the evening (local time), the President attended the reception organised at the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Slovenia's independence by the head of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations in New York, Mrs. Sanja İtiglic. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, attended the reception which was also an occasion for a special performance of the Slovenian vocal group Perpetuum Jazzile.

In his address at the reception, Dr. Danilo Türk said that he was very proud of being the president of a country which is known by its neighbouring countries, as well as others, as a successful country. He described the young country, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, as one which feels very much at home at the United Nations.

The President emphasized that Slovenia is strongly committed to the United Nations as one of the greatest ideas in human history. He explained that under the United Nation's patronage, all nations of the world meet in their common efforts for justice, peace and development. The President added that although we are not always successful and happy with our achievements, we keep trying and remain committed to our common goals and principles.

On this occasion Dr. Türk specially greeted the UN Secretary-General who honoured the participants of the reception dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's independence with his presence. He said that the choral singing of the Perpetuum Jazzile vocal group represents Slovenia as a country defined by culture and art and a country which respects cultural contributions from every corner of the world.

In his address, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out that he has personally followed Slovenia's progress during the two decades of its existence. According to Korean tradition, reaching the age of 20 is an important milestone as this signifies the person becoming independent. The UN Secretary-General then congratulated Slovenia on this auspicious occasion.

He recalled that in 1998, when President Türk presided the UN Security Council, he himself was ambassador to Slovenia. He and the Slovenian President have known each other since when Dr. Danilo Türk worked for the United Nations, said Ban Ki-moon and added that over the last twelve years they have been supporting each other both personally and officially. He emphasized how proud he was to have served as ambassador to Slovenia and mentioned that he is still attached to Ljubljana through many friends and good memories.

In 2008, when he visited Slovenia in his capacity of Secretary-General of the United Nations, he was enthusiastic about Slovenia's progress which in two decades consolidated democracy and development, and took a leading role in the United Nations and the European Union. Slovenia continues to provide strong support to the work of the UN, for which the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude. He saw as positive the active role of Dr. Danilo Türk in the United Nations where he as a distinguished ambassador stood for the protection of human rights and made his mark also as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

"We are very proud to count you as a member of the United Nations family. You once said that United Nations represents hope for a better world and you called on all of us to pave this road. This is our mission. We can succeed by continuing to join forces to end poverty, protect the environment, defend human rights, promote gender equality, help the most vulnerable, especially children, and bring peace to troubled areas," said Ban Ki-moon who ended his address with wishes of future prosperity for Slovenia.

The first day of his working visit in New York, Dr. Danilo Türk held meetings with a group of ambassadors of Latin American states and a group of ambassadors of Small Island states. The main topic of both discussions was the candidacy of the Republic of Slovenia for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council during 2012 and 2013, and at the same time President Türk presented his views of some incumbent international and political issues relating to the work of the UN.