Van der Bellen apologizes to the Slovenes of Carinthia – Carinthia –

Van der Bellen and the Governor of Carinthia, Peter Kaiser (SPÖ), welcomed Pahor with military honors at the Landhaushof on Saturday morning. Pahor was the first senior representative from the neighboring southern country to participate in the celebration, which for decades had been a show of power by German national forces. The fact that the voices of the Slovenian-speaking population of southern Carinthia had been decisive for Austria “was hidden for many years in the 10 October celebrations,” Kaiser admitted in his speech. This time, several keynote speakers emphasized this fact, including the federal president.

In his speech, the Slovenian president focused on the positive aspects of centuries of shared history. “The stone of the prince has found its home in this beautiful hall of the coat of arms. The rulers took their oath in the Slovenian language, later in German. Not all people have a stone on which to build belongs to both,” he said. the Slovenian president, who received a standing ovation. Like Van der Bellen, he invoked the common European future of the two neighboring countries. “Europe allows us to be what we are. We cannot change the past, but we can change the future. Happiness is on the side of the brave,” he said.

“Carinthia has come a long way, a way of reconciliation,” said Van der Bellen. “Many open wounds have largely healed.” At the same time, he was self-critical and said that Austria had not always done justice to the protection of minorities established in article 8 of the Federal Constitution.

“As federal president, I would like to apologize, dear members of the Slovenian ethnic group, for the injustice suffered and for the lack of implementation of constitutionally guaranteed rights,” the federal president said to the applause of the participants in the ceremony in German and Slovenian. Language.

The president of the largest coordinating organization for Slovenians in Carinthia, Valentin Inzko, reacted with surprise and joy to the “historic apology” of the federal president. “We were not expecting today’s apology. We can continue to build on this new foundation,” said the head of the APA’s Council of Carinthian Slovenes.

On the contrary, the head of the FPÖ, Norbert Hofer, described the “gestures of humility” of the federal president as “inappropriate”. “The unilateral apology from the federal president to the Carinthian Slovenes does not help the unification of Carinthia,” Hofer said in a joint broadcast with FPÖ regional leader Gernot Darmann. Before the celebration, Hofer had found words of praise for the joint celebration of the two presidents in relation to the APA and called them “very, very honorable.”

In his speech, Kaiser said that the state of Carinthia had “deliberately” chosen the EU motto “United in diversity” for the centenary. “The eventful history of the Carinthians, including the many painful experiences, is almost a symbol of pan-European development,” he said. The SPÖ politician explicitly thanked his predecessor Gerhard Dörfler (FPÖ) for resolving the issue of toponym signs in 2011, while at the same time voicing criticism of minority representatives. “In the end, Justament’s views with excessive demands do not help anyone,” Kaiser said. As an “Ironman finalist” he knows that it is always important to “watch the goal, keep up, sometimes slow down a bit.”

Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and the Minister responsible for ethnic groups in the Chancellery, Susanne Raab (ÖVP), were also clearly committed to the protection of minorities. It is a “historic responsibility” for Austria to sustainably ensure the existence of its six ethnic groups, Raab said. “We are fully committed to Article 8, paragraph 2 of our federal Constitution,” Kogler said. They both referred to the decision to double funding for national minorities, which had not been valued for 25 years, shortly before the anniversary. Raab evaluated Pahor’s participation as a “wonderful sign” and a “valuable gesture”. In this context, Kogler expressed the hope that “October 10 will continue to be a holiday for ethnic Slovenes.”

The ethnic Slovenian keynote speaker, Manuel Jug, gave a positive note. Major conflicts have been “overcome” and “more and more new perspectives are being taken,” said the 23-year-old president of the Central Association of Organizations of Slovenia. He also thanked the SPÖ-ÖVP state government team, “which is exemplary in the interests of the Slovenian ethnic group and also exemplifies bilingualism, for example in the context of Carinthija2020”. “We need reconciliation, empathy and also closer. We just need love,” he said to long applause.

Federal President Van der Bellen and his Slovenian counterpart Pahor concluded their joint commemoration of the centenary of the Carinthian referendum on Saturday afternoon with the opening of a bilingual kindergarten run by Mohorjeva / Hermagoras Catholics in Klagenfurt. Van der Bellen and Pahor had prepared “a great day” for Carinthia, Carinthia Governor Kaiser said at the farewell.

The two heads of state were not left without significant words either. “The sun is shining today. May it never set,” said Pahor. Van der Bellen spoke of a historic day and said that “a way back” to the situation of 20 years ago was “not possible”.

Kaiser thanked “on behalf of Carinthia” for the celebration. “You gave us a great (day) – velik dan,” the head of the country fell into gibberish common to many bilingual residents of the country. “Without you it would not have been possible.”

“At the end of the day, the ethnic group has to fight for its own rights, but it is good that we have friends like this in Vienna and Ljubljana,” said the director of the Hermagoras Association, Karl Hren.

Among the guests were also the Federal Minister of Carinthia, Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) and the Slovenian Minister for Slovenians abroad, Helena Jaklitsch. Contrary to original expectations, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar did not attend. His ministry was expressed in a broadcast on October 10, in which, among other things, it again insisted on compliance with Article 7 of the State Treaty.

While Raab and Jaklitsch wanted to participate in a local memorial service at St. Jakob Parish in Rosental in the late afternoon, the two presidents had two more token acts on the program. A bilingual sculpture by artist Thomas Hoke would first be inaugurated at the Carinthia state government office. So Van der Bellen and Pahor wanted to open a bilingual kindergarten in Klagenfurt.

However, the mood of the party in Klagenfurt was not entirely unanimous. Representatives of the Slovenian Carinthian Youth held a protest rally in the center of Klagenfurt in the early afternoon to protest for minority rights and against the continued tribute to controversial voting heroes such as former Nazi Hans Steinacher. In a municipality in Lower Carinthia, Steinacher had only unveiled a new monument the week before. Van der Bellen had said in the APA interview that he “could not understand” those files.

Southern Carinthia, which was predominantly Slovenian-speaking at the time, was claimed and occupied by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes after the First World War. This led to the defensive battle of Carinthia with around 400 dead. In the referendum on October 10, 1920, residents of the voting area, which also included the southern half of Lake Wörthersee, voted for Austria with 59 percent. The Karawanken mountain range thus remained the southern border of Carinthia.