NEWS
Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek, at the gala concert of opera arias: "Culture always helps us establish the spirit of dialogue and understanding"
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek, last night attended the opening of the 25th International Music Festival Summer in Ljubljana Old Town and the gala concert of opera arias on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner and the 25th anniversary of Imago Sloveniae that took place on Kongresni trg in Ljubljana. In her opening address she said that culture and art are an opportunity for diversities to meet and these contribute to the establishment of the spirit of dialogue and understanding between people. "Our most valuable asset is man and his creative soul. No political programme can transcend it, it can, however, contribute to and create conditions for man's creative soul to be properly evaluated and respected. The social norm must not only be financial success. A better tomorrow requires a new evaluation of man’s work and his creativity," highlighted the Slovenian Prime Minister.
Further on she said that for the state and the Slovenian government culture does not only represent a moral obligation: "The Government will do its utmost – as it has already proved through the re-establishment of the Ministry of Culture – to promote the development of culture and art: the National Programme for Culture and the cultural policy model reform have already been prepared, because culture deserves our joint efforts and hard work as much as we deserve culture." On this occasion the Slovenian Prime Minister also congratulated the organisers who celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Imago Sloveniae national project this year. Through high quality events they proved that also in this way Slovenia can achieve overall economic, tourist and cultural development at the local and regional levels.