Statement by the Slovenian president on the occasion of the official transfer of ownership of the Narodni Dom to the Slovenian national community in Italy
Ljubljana, 28. 3. 2022 | press release, statement
Below is the statement by the Slovenian president Borut Pahor to mark the occasion of the official transfer of ownership of the Narodni Dom to the Slovenian national community in Italy:
Today’s transfer of ownership concludes a process that began with the signing of the document on the return of the Narodni Dom to the Slovenian community in Italy during my meeting with president and friend Mattarello on 13 July 2020 – that is, on the 100th anniversary of the burning-down of the building by fascists.
President Mattarello and myself first officially discussed the possibility of transferring ownership in autumn 2019 during an international conference in Athens. That everything, including the official handover, passed off successfully is largely the result of the efforts of Ksenija Dobrila and Walter Bandelj, presidents of the two main umbrella organisations of Slovenes in Italy, of Senator Tatjana Rojc, of Ambassador Tomaž Kunstelj and of Consul-General Vojko Volk, as well as of those tireless Slovenes and Italians of all generations who believed and continued to believe in justice, the importance of good neighbourly relations, friendship and co-existence within the European spirit. I would like to express my thanks to all of them.
Photo: STA