President Türk receives young researchers

Ljubljana, 19.7.2012  |  press release

President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, hosted a reception for the participants of the first conference of young Slovenian researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students from Slovenia and abroad. In his opening address he expressed his most sincere gratitude to the Slovenian World Congress and everyone else who had contributed to the organisation of the conference. He pointed out that in Slovenia, there are discussions about our future development which are often heated, but that they all concern the younger generation. President emphasised that the issue of attitudes towards the younger generation is a key developmental issue for Slovenia, while the issues of education, training and the intellectual contribution of the young to development are of strategic importance for the country.

President Türk reminded the participants that Europe used to be a single intellectual space. Europe was later divided by national borders and ideologies, though these never fully prevented intellectual communication. Now there are strong efforts going on in Europe to create a single intellectual and research area again. Even though the human genius always finds a way to express itself, President Türk believes that we should strive to help these talents and geniuses to assert themselves more easily. He then explained that we are often faced with barriers in our tradition and bureaucracy and confronted with a rigidity in research structure, adding that research work was often poorly paid and did not always receive enough support.

President stressed that the research world is also a global world. He pointed out that Slovenia has always had a lot of researchers, brilliant scientists and intellectuals who have established themselves throughout the world. President went on to say that he had also experienced the serious work and strenuous efforts required to assert himself in a demanding foreign environment, but that he had never forgotten to remember his origins and homeland. “One homeland is given to each of us,” as Slovenian poet Oton Župančič once wrote. President added that our homeland is also the homeland of all our people working abroad, who may return one day but who will always keep in touch with the people in Slovenia and in this way contribute to our development.