Number of Ceremonies to Mark 15 Anniversary of Independence
More than 160 events across Slovenia are to mark 15 years of the country's independence. The central ceremony is to be held in Ljubljana on 24 June, on the eve of National Day.
The main ceremony to take place in Republic Square will be an exact reprise of the ceremony held 15 years ago and will not include the widely contested military parade. On the same day, a festive session will be held by the National Assembly with current Parliament Speaker France Cukjati and the first speaker of Slovenia's independent National Assembly France Bucar as key-note speakers.
National Day marks the day when the documents enabling Slovenia to declare independence were passed in 1991.
The string of this-year's events marking the anniversary of independence was launched with the opening of an exhibition in Lendava (NE) on 28 April entitled "The War for Slovenia".
On 20 May a ceremony was held in Pekre near the city of Maribor to remember the Pekre incident - the first clash between the emerging Slovenian armed forces and the Yugoslav People's Army (JLA).
Other events scheduled include a meeting of the Slovenian veterans of the independence war on 10 June with PM Janez Jansa as honorary speaker.
The prime minister will also speak at the main ceremony of the Slovenian police, which will be held on 27 June at the border crossing Holmec, as well as at the final "independence event" in Koper on 26 October.
The Koper ceremony will mark both the end of the festivities as well as the end of the war as it is the date of the withdrawal of the last soldier of the the Yugoslav People's Army.
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