16/07/2025
A special joint event of retired Slovenian and Italian ambassadors will take place.
As part of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia, a special joint event of retired Slovenian and Italian ambassadors will take place on 23 October 2025. Preparations for the event were discussed at a meeting on 3 February 2025 by Dr Božo Cerar on the Slovenian side and Italian ambassadors Daniele Verga and Massimo Spinetti.
The event will consist of two parts: in the morning on the Italian side and in the afternoon on the Slovenian side.
The morning part will take place in the premises of the Diplomatic Academy in Gorizia (part of the University of Trieste) and will run from 9:30 to 12:30. At the beginning, short welcoming addresses will be delivered by:
- the rector of the university,
- the mayor of Gorizia,
- the president of the Italian Association of Retired Diplomats,
- the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Italy,
- a representative of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region,
- and an Italian moderator who will briefly introduce the discussion and present the panellists.
In the morning, the discussion will touch on the period 50 years ago, when tensions in Europe began to ease, the Helsinki Final Act, and consequently the Osimo Agreements, and the positive impact these had on relations in our part of Europe, particularly between Yugoslavia and Italy. On the Slovenian side, Dr Božo Cerar and Prof. Dr Mirjam Škrk will speak in the morning.
The structure will be: first an Italian panellist, then a Slovenian, then again Italian and Slovenian. The Slovenian panellists will be Ambassador Roman Kirn and Prof. Dr Janja Hojnik. This will be followed by a Q&A moderated by the moderator, and then short 5-minute interventions by pairs of "witnesses"—sharing personal memories of those directly involved.
The afternoon part of the event will take place from 14:00 to 17:00 at an event space currently being renovated in the former warehouse at the railway station in Nova Gorica, the so-called EPICenter. This part will focus on today’s political and security situation in Europe and the region, relations between Slovenia and Italy, and perspectives for future cooperation.
The event is intended for the general public and especially young people, which is why the morning part will take place at the university premises.
