The Community of Carinthian Slovenes gave yesterday In Klagenfurt the former President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor Kugy’s award for his merits at strengthening the mutual Slovenian cultural, cross- border and Alps-Adriatic cooperation in the area and also for his efforts in the favour of a successful development of the Slovenian national minority and coexistence in Carinthia.
As Pahor said in his speech in the European House in Klagenfurt with the receipt of the award he obliges to do his best to remain an ardent advocate of good neighbour relations, of the protection of the rights and development of minorities of European values and mutual European future.
Before the ceremony the former President of Slovenia met the Mayor of Municipality Zell Pfarre Heribert Kulmesch and the President of the SKS Bernard Sadovnik. At the meeting also the important representatives of the Slovenian minority in Austria were present. Pahor also laid a wreath to the memorial old Zell Pfarre Church and met the Carinthian Governor Peter Kaiser.
Kugy’s Award is named by the well known multilingual and multicultural alpinist and book writer of mountain thematics Julius Kugy ( 1858-1944 ), whose roots are spread to three regions of the Alps-Adriatic area: lower Gailtal at Poeckau, Gorizia and Trieste and to Julian Alps region in the today’s Slovenia. The idea of the award is based on the concept of the Alps-Adriatic convergence in the triangle Carinthia-Slovenia-Friuli.