President Danilo Türk receives Al Gore

Ljubljana, 10.12.2008  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today received the former Vice President of the United States of America and Nobel Prize laureate, Al Gore. In his statement after the meeting, President Türk commented that Mr Gore, as a world-famous personality, is renowned for what he has already done towards a happier future for the world. In their discussion, President Türk and Mr Gore exchanged views on issues pertaining to global warming and our environmental and economic future. They called for great and transformational changes in this area, not only for small ones. They also called attention to the crucial nature of the current period, because negotiations on climate change will be going on for about a year with the aim of forming a new global agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol. President Türk stressed that major new projects will have to be set up. Both the Slovenian President and the former American Vice President expressed their hope that the new times would bring new ideas to many countries, both in Europe and in the United States. The Slovenian President expressed the hope that in Slovenia also, necessary structural changes will be made and/or our decision-making will be supplemented in order to facilitate successful integration into the global processes that are required in this area.

Mr Gore thanked Dr Türk for his welcome and hospitality. He said that he was greatly honoured to be able to visit Slovenia for the first time, and he described it as a beautiful and dynamic country that he has admired for a long time. He stressed that Dr Türk is greatly respected in global terms and recognised as a man of great international leadership capabilities. “Mr President, personally I very much respect the method of your mastery and knowledge of climate change issues, and your leadership and assistance in forming global public opinion on how to resolve the current unprecedented crisis,” said Mr Gore. The Nobel Prize laureate will tonight give a lecture to high school and university students, where he will present his views and challenges brought by the future.