Former president Borut Pahor and Italian president Sergio Mattarella honored with the prestigious award of the City of Gorizia
Bivši predsednik Pahor in italijanski predsednik Mattarella sta v Gorici/Gorizia prejela prestižno nagrado Mesta Gorica, ki jo občina in dekanija vsako leto podeljujeta ob praznovanju mestnih zavetnikov, sv. Hilarija in sv. Tacijana.
Ob tej svečani priložnosti, je bivši predsednik Pahor dejal: “Od srca se zahvaljujem za visoko priznanje. To, da ga sprejemam hkrati z italijanskim predsednikom in prijateljem Mattarello, mu daje zame prav poseben, dragocen pomen. To, da sva skupaj deležna te časti prav v času, ko sta obe Gorici skupaj Evropska prestolnica kulture, pa priznanju daje dodatno težo in izjemno simbolno vlogo. Zato me prevzemajo močna čustva. Toda priznanje sprejemam s ponižnostjo. Hvaležen sem vsem tistim, ki so me vzgajali v duhu medsebojnega spoštovanja in razumevanja med Slovenci in Italijani. Naposled pa sem prav posebej hvaležen Italijanskemu predsedniku in prijatelju Sergiu Mattarelli. Bil sem deležen milosti usode, da sem imel privilegij sodelovanja s tako modrim in pogumnim državnikom. Vročitev te nagrade je opomin času in razmeram, v katerih se je danes znašel svet. Namesto spoštovanja mednarodnega pravnega reda in njegovih ustanov, ki naj bi skrbele za mir in varnost, se vsiljuje politika surove moči in interesnih sfer. Zdi se, da ni nič več svetega. EU, naša skupna domovina, je zlasti v teh razmerah šibka navznoter in navzven. Toda to ne pomeni, da ne more biti močnejša, navznoter in navzven. /.../ Iz zgodovinskih izkušenj vemo, da je vselej, v še tako težkih razmerah, mogoče najti plemenito pot, še zlasti, če nas vodijo plemeniti cilji. Nikoli kot v zadnjem času vera v to našo sposobnost ni bila tako odločilna kot zdaj. Skupaj nam bo uspelo.”
Former President Borut Pahor and Italian President Sergio Mattarella received the prestigious Città di Gorizia award in Gorizia/Gorica. The award is presented annually by the municipality and the deanery as part of the celebration of the city's patron saints, St. Hilary and St. Tatian.
On this solemn occasion, former President Pahor said: “I sincerely thank you for this high honor. Receiving it alongside Italian President and my dear friend Sergio Mattarella makes it especially meaningful and precious to me. The fact that we are both awarded this distinction at a time when both Goricas stand together as the European Capital of Culture adds even greater significance and a profound symbolic value. That is why I am deeply moved. However, I accept this recognition with humility. I am grateful to all those who raised me in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding between Slovenes and Italians. Above all, I am particularly thankful to President Mattarella. I have been fortunate to have had the privilege of working alongside such a wise and courageous statesman. This award serves as a reminder of the times we live in and the circumstances the world faces today. Instead of upholding the international legal order and the institutions that safeguard peace and security, we see the rise of politics driven by raw power and spheres of influence. It seems as if nothing is sacred anymore. The European Union, our shared homeland, is weak—both internally and externally. But that does not mean it cannot become stronger, within and beyond. From history, we know that even in the most difficult times, a noble path can always be found—especially when we are guided by noble goals. Never before has faith in our ability to shape our own future been more decisive than it is today. Together, we will succeed.”
