President of the Republic of Slovenia receives the Governor General of Canada

Brdo pri Kranju, 3.12.2008  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and Barbara Mikliè Türk this morning received the Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, and her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond. The Slovenian President and the Canadian Governor General had a lengthy and cordial discussion in which they agreed that bilateral relations are very good and that there was little to add to the excellent political and other forms of communication that exist at this time. President Türk explained that the discussion focused primarily on ethnic relations and the experience of Canada in the domain of multiculturalism, as well as the need for the EU Member States to continue to develop intercultural dialogue and find answers to questions that are common to this domain. The President in particular emphasised the great progress that Canada has made in this respect; it has become a country of excellent and diverse multicultural dialogue. This experience is very practical and concrete, and as such can be of assistance to Europe, which is increasingly faced with coping with issues related to immigration. "Europe is not very accustomed to these issues and can therefore still learn from others. Learning has always been a two-way street and therefore a dialogue from which we can all learn something," noted the President, summarising the shared conclusions of the discussion with the Governor General.

Canadian Governor General Jean thanked the President for his warm hospitality and expressed her regrets for having to curtail her visit to Slovenia due to urgent political activities in Canada. She welcomed the exceptional friendship between Canada and the Republic of Slovenia, and congratulated Slovenia on having accomplished so much in such a short time after the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. She appraised Slovenia as a country in full development, which can serve as a model for the entire world, including, of course, Canada. In this context she added that the achievements of the Slovenian Presidency are a great inspiration for Canada as well. The Governor General also stressed the importance of close cooperation and alliance that reaches into all spheres of human activity. In her opinion, the two countries have a lot in common, and Canada particularly appreciates the personal contribution of President Türk in establishing true and good intercultural dialogue, in enhancing the rights of minorities and migrants, and in building a society in which harmony and social peace prevail.