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WELCOME ADDRESS
by H.E. Mr Karl Erjavec,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Slovenia
AT THE OPENING OF THE 2015 BLED STRATEGIC FORUM
Bled, 31st August 2015
Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear guests, dear friends,
Welcome to Bled and thank you for joining us at the tenth Bled Strategic Forum.
Ten years ago, the Forum was launched with a vision to bring together different decision makers, to encourage open debates and search for new ideas and solutions.
In all these years, we had a privilege of meeting many new friends and partners. We have built new relations in many different fields. With this in mind, we want to dedicate this year's Bled Strategic Forum to partners and partnerships.
If we have a critical look at the world, we can see different problems and open issues. Global and regional security are facing many challenges. The world economy is still recovering from global crisis. Europe is coping with one of the biggest migration flows in history.
None of these issues can be addressed without a strong and efficient international partnership.
Slovenia's foreign policy has always been one of cooperation, friendly relations and multilateral efforts.
I am pleased to say that these principles are also reflected in the new Strategy of the Slovenian Foreign Policy. It has been adopted last month and it will help us address the changing relations in the international community.
We have focused on three pillars of foreign policy: security, peaceful politics and prosperity. These three elements are not only of key importance for a national state, they are also the common goals of the global international community.
Regarding the security, I want to stress Slovenia’s activities in the United Nations, NATO and the OSCE, including our participation in the peace-keeping operations and conflict-prevention missions.
Of course, Slovenia is also a part of global efforts to fight terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization.
Slovenia is a strong supporter of all disarmament efforts. It plays an important role in the global de-mining activities through the humanitarian organization ITF – Enhancing Human Security.
We also believe that full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is an important part of national and international security. The same goes for the protection of minorities, children, women and the elderly.
At the same time, the international community should give full support to the system of international criminal justice, which is an important element of conflict prevention.
Lastly, we must not overlook the importance of the full respect of international law and international obligations, including bilateral agreements.
Peaceful politics, as the second pillar of foreign policy, must of course start with good and friendly relations among neighbours. Open issues must be solved with dialogue and with full respect of given commitments.
Bilateral relations with all countries – in the region or in other continents – should be dynamic, positive and filled with substance.
Slovenia strongly supports all mechanisms of peaceful resolution of conflicts. I would like to stress our activities regarding mediation, prevention of genocide and the concept of the Responsibility to Protect.
Peaceful politics should also be encouraged by supporting democracy, the rule of law and inter-cultural dialogue.
As the last segment of foreign policy, I would like to underline prosperity. This part of our activities is reflected in our membership in the EU and the OECD. In these organizations we promote our national interests in dialogue with other Member States.
Enhancing economic cooperation is the guiding principle of Slovenia’s economic diplomacy. It is all about opening doors, building trust and looking for new partners – between countries and between companies.
We are proud to carry out this important task and we are pleased by the positive feed-back that we get from our businessmen.
Finally, I would like to stress the importance of the post-2015 Development Agenda that will be adopted in New York next month. We also hope for the positive outcome of the Paris Conference on Climate Change, which is another big challenge for our common future.
As I said before: we need partnerships to achieve these goals. Sometimes, in bilateral relations, one honest and strong partner is enough. More often, almost two hundred members of the United Nations are needed to make a global positive step forward.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the former Slovenian Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs who have been the key players of the Forum since 2006 and supported it as our common project.
I would like to thank all the sponsors, who are our valuable partners. They have helped the Forum to grow and develop, even in the years, when economy and finance were in decline.
And finally, I would like to commend the Forum’s Secretary-General Ambassador Bergant, his dedicated team and the colleagues from the Centre for European Perspective. They make our Bled partnership possible.
Thank you.
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