STATE VISIT BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE TO THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA
STATE VISIT BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE TO THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA
Madame Mayor
Ladies and Gentlemen
Hvala lepa - Thank you very much
Thank you very much for your warm welcome to Piran. I have been struck since my arrival by the warmth and friendliness of the reception we have received everywhere during our visit to your beautiful country, and we very much appreciate it. In that respect the people of Ireland, who are also proud of the welcome we offer to strangers, have a great deal in common with the people of Slovenia. We each know the importance of the human touch, of the value of taking time to build and sustain a friendship.
I feel very privileged to be able to visit this historic town with its lovely Town Hall. Piran’s reputation as the most picturesque town on the Slovenian coast is as easy to understand as it is fully justified. As a member of the association of walled towns and cities in Europe known as the “Walled Cities Friendship Circle” you have a special link to several Irish cities and towns which are also members, including Carrickfergus in the north of the island and Limerick in the south. The co-operation between the countries of Europe in this area makes the point very simply that each of us is custodian of a little piece of the magnificent tapestry of European heritage. When we protect that heritage, whether of this city or of an Irish city, we protect it not just for the Slovenians and the Irish but for all those who share a common European heritage
Once again may I thank you, Madam Mayor, and your colleagues for your kind hospitality. May I congratulate you on all you do so successfully for this city, for its people and for the visitor. I wish you and the people of Piran every success in the future.