L5A1446

President Pirc Musar visits Vienna on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition of Slovenian Paintings from 1848 to 1918

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and the First Gentleman, Aleš Musar, paid a visit to the Federal President of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, and the First Lady, Doris Schmidauer, at the Hofburg Presidential Palace in Vienna. The two presidents exchanged views on current bilateral and international topics.

Vienna, 29 Jan 2025

News

The President of Slovenia and the President of Austria have developed a close and amicable relationship, which also reflects the relations between the two countries, both on the national and regional levels. Both presidents reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations, especially on issues of common interest. Economic cooperation between the two countries is excellent, as Austria is the largest investor in the Slovenian economy and the second biggest partner based on the volume of trade in services. It also accounts for the third highest share of tourist arrivals and is Slovenia’s fifth biggest foreign trading partner.

President Pirc Musar expressed her satisfaction that Slovenian businesses have been strengthening their trade activities with Austria and investing in the Austrian economy. More than 270 businesses with a Slovenian ownership stake exceeding 50% are registered in Austria, the majority of them in Carinthia.

On the 80th anniversary of World War II and the 70th anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty, the Slovenian President stressed the importance of President Van der Bellen’s support for initiatives aiming to improve the enforcement of minority rights, particularly of the Slovenian minority. A more respectful coexistence in Carinthia has been established in recent years, which President Pirc Musar attributed to the positive steps made by the Carinthian State government in bilingual education. She also expressed the expectation that additional efforts would be made to find a solution for unresolved systemic and other issues. Matters of particular importance to Slovenia are issues related to the Slovenian language, its use in public and education.

In light of continued good relations between the two countries, the President expressed regret about the intention of the Styrian State Government to include the regional anthem in the current Styrian Constitution. She called for caution in using symbols referring to Slovenian territories. According to the President, Slovenia is a staunch advocate of international law and the foundations of peaceful coexistence and relations between countries, including respect for their territorial integrity.

After the talks, the President visited the headquarters of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where she discussed current security issues in Europe with Secretary-General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu. With its comprehensive approach to security, OSCE represents a very important platform for dialogue and an instrument for resolving security issues in Europe. The President expressed her satisfaction that the Participating States recognised the importance of OSCE as a connecting link between Europe and Asia, enabling the organisation’s continued activity. The OSCE must remain a politically relevant player. The President also stressed the need for the stable financing of the OSCE and the urgency of reaching an agreement on the unified budget. She underscored that the OSCE could count on Slovenia’s support and constructive cooperation with the Secretariat.

In the evening, President Pirc Musar and her husband joined the Austrian President and First Lady at the opening ceremony of the exhibition "The World in Colours" at the Vienna Belvedere Museum, organised in collaboration with the National Gallery of Slovenia.

The largest exhibition of Slovenian art in Vienna to date features the highlights of Slovenian painting during the nation’s emancipation between 1848 and 1918. It exhibits the works of the most prominent Slovenian painters from the so-called pre-March period and the second half of the 19th century, including Jožef Tominc, Jožef Petkovšek and Ivana Kobilica, and works by four Slovenian impressionists – Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matija Jama and Matej Sternen. The President also delivered a formal address to the high-level guests gathered at the opening.

The exhibition will be on display at Lower Belvedere between 30 January and 26 May.