President Türk attends Bled Strategic Forum

Bled, 29.8.2010  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, was the guest of honour at the opening of the 5th Bled Strategic Forum. In his address, he spoke about global challenges of the next decade and pointed out that both honesty and a realistic assessment of the situation were of paramount importance in understanding the present situation, and that imagination was the quality most needed when searching for solutions. He pointed out the situation in Afghanistan being where, in his view, the world will need all the imagination possible to devise an appropriate exit strategy. The international community must find a way to exit this situation, as a permanent military presence is certainly not viable and was never the original intention. Communication between the Afghani government and other political forces in the country, as well as the establishment of an effective regional agreement, committing all neighbouring states to stability, will be of vital significance.

President Türk also spoke of the priorities of the European Union's foreign policy goals. He emphasised the importance of developing strategic partnerships with global players such as China and India. The European Union will have to freshen up its transatlantic relationship with the USA, its historic strategic partner, and focus its attention on enhancing collaboration with the Russian Federation and Eastern Partnership countries. In his view, this is the EU's main priority, as the Russian federation, which has just declared modernisation to be the driving force behind its development, and the Eastern partnership countries, with all their development potential, represent the very development opportunity Europe may not be able to afford to pass up. He advocated that the EU bases its cooperation with these countries on broader foundations, including the implementation of a more liberal visa regime.

On the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum, President Türk also met several distinguished guests at the event. He held talks with Ms Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs of the Republic of India, Mr Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil and Mr Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of the Arab States, who on this occasion, handed the President a cheque for USD 50,000 – a donation for the Slovenian International Trust fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), who are engaged in the rehabilitation of disabled children from Gaza in Slovenia.

In the afternoon, President Türk met with Dr Hans Friederich, Regional Director for Pan-Europe at International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Dr Frank-Jürgen Richter, President of the Horasis, an independent international organisation committed to realising visions for a sustainable future.