The President of the Republic of Slovenia receives representatives of Carinthian Slovenians

Ljubljana, 15.4.2011  |  press release

The Slovenian President, Dr Danilo Türk, received representatives of the Association of Slovenian Organisations, the Community of Carinthian Slovenians, and the National Council of Carinthian Slovenians before an upcoming official visit by the President of the Republic of Austria, Dr Heinz Fischer, to Slovenia.

The representatives of all three umbrella organisations of the Slovenian national community in Austrian Carinthia informed him of their living and working conditions, with most emphasis being placed on current negotiations with representatives of the Austrian Federal Government and the Autonomous Region of Carinthia relating to the quantity of bilingual local signs.
The Slovenian President again emphasised that the issue of bilingual signs in Austrian Carinthia is a matter of implementation of the Austrian State Treaty and the decisions of the Austrian Constitutional Court. He supported the minority’s efforts to reach an agreement on a comprehensive package that would include the systemic regulation of educational institutions, kindergartens and the media along with a suitable and legally sustainable solution to the issue of bilingual topographic signs.

The President called for continuation of the dialogue and the search for solutions that will be acceptable to both parties and improve the conditions of co-existence among the people of Carinthia. Any compromise reached without the consent of all three Slovenian minority organisations would not be a proper solution. Therefore, efforts should be made to find a suitable and permanent solution.