TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine attended and supported yesterday, 10 June 2022, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a fundraising event for the children’s hospitals in Ljubljana, Belgrade, and Banja Luka, and the solemnity on the occasion of the Day of Serbian – Slovenian Friendship.
The solemnity was attended by HE the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Slovenia, dr. Milorad Zivkovic, who read the letter of HE Mrs. Zeljka Cvijanovic, President of the Republic of Srpska, Mr. Aleksandar Gatalica, the First Advisor in the Embassy of Serbia in Slovenia, as well as Mr. Milorad Pupovac, political representative of Serbian minority in Croatia, who together with His Royal Highness addressed the attendees at the event, as well as the religious representatives of Serbian Orthodox Church and many other distinguished guests.
Earlier in the day, Crown Prince and Crown Princess had a meeting with Mr. Zoran Jankovic, the Mayor of Ljubljana, discussing the ways to provide for the people of Slovenia and Serbia through cooperation. Their Royal Highnesses also visited the Church of Saint Cyril and Methodius, the endowment of the Royal Family in the capital of Slovenia.
“Building bridges between nations – that is an important duty of our society. And that is why this Day is so important, celebrating the friendly relations between the people of Slovenia and Serbia. Only with unity, mutual understanding, and cooperation, we can achieve the highly valued goal of making a better world for all people.
We have many good examples that we should always have in mind, to be a motive to us. Great example are the bonds between two great composers, Mokranjac and Jenko, which are highlighted at the exhibition that we can all see here. This should be model for us, to look forward to the future. And that future can and will be bright and secure only if we work together, preserve and cherish good relations and contribute to our region and the entire world by being connected and working together”, stated HRH Crown Prince Alexander in his speech. He also thanked the organizers for not forgetting the needs of children hospitals in Slovenia, Serbia and the Republic of Srpska.
The celebration of this Day of Friendship was organized this year for the second time by the Serbian Cultural Society and the Serbian Library “Mihajlo Pupin” from Ljubljana, and as part of the celebration, an exhibition “Legacy of Stevan Mokranjac” was organized in cooperation with the Museum of the City of Belgrade, from 1 to 10 June. The Director of the Museum, Ms. Jelena Medakovic, officially closed the exhibition as part of the solemnity. The central motif and personification of the friendly relations between the two peoples is the exceptional personal and professional relationship between the two composers, Stevan Mokranjac and Davorin Jenko, Slovenian author and composer of the National Anthem of Serbia. The co-organizers of the event are Slovenian Business Club and the National Council of Slovenian Minority in Serbia.
The Day of Serbian – Slovenian Friendship was celebrated for the first time on June 12th, 2021 under the auspices of Ljubljana, Maribor, Kranj, Koper, Novo mesto, Nova Gorica, and Velenje.
Photo – Marko Delbello Ocepek
