President Milanović, Together with the President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, Visits a Slovenian Minority School in Rijeka
“I am particularly pleased to be here today for reasons related to relations between Croatia and Slovenia, Croats and Slovenians. It was wonderful to hear the children speak Slovenian, almost without an accent to my ear. It is an elective subject, and this is a pleasant surprise for me,” said the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović after visiting Pećine Elementary School in Rijeka together with the President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar. President Pirc Musar is on a one-day working visit to Croatia, during which she visited the Slovenian national minority in Rijeka.
At Pećine Elementary School, President Milanović and President Pirc Musar met with pupils and teachers involved in the teaching of Slovenian language and culture under Model C. The school has been offering Slovenian language and culture classes for 19 years, covering language, literature, history, geography, music, and visual arts, and is attended by 32 students.
Prior to meeting President Milanović and visiting the school, President Pirc Musar visited the Slovenian Home – Bazovica Cultural and Educational Society, where she discussed the challenges of preserving Slovenian identity in the diaspora with representatives of the Alliance of Slovenian Societies in Croatia. As part of her working visit, representatives of Slovenian societies active in Croatia will present their work at the First Sušak Croatian Gymnasium.
According to the latest census, around 13,000 Slovenians live in Croatia, mostly in Istria County, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and the City of Zagreb. Slovenians first organized in Rijeka 80 years ago. Today, the Slovenian Home – Bazovica Cultural and Educational Society in Rijeka includes a mixed choir celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, as well as drama, mountaineering, folklore, dance, and other groups that contribute to preserving Slovenian identity. The Slovenian Home – Bazovica Cultural and Educational Society is a member of the Alliance of Slovenian Societies in Croatia, the umbrella organization that has been organizing, bringing together, and connecting Slovenian societies across Croatia since 1992. During the meeting in Rijeka, President Milanović was accompanied by his Adviser for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić, Adviser for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić, and Assistant Adviser for Foreign and European Policy Ivan Mutavdžić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić