"15 years on, I am glad to see that our decision to go independent was not a step in vain," President Janez Drnovsek said as he addressed a reception he hosted on Saturday for members of the then and incumbent governments and the then presidency.
"We stood together, we knew how to overcome many hardships, challenges and trials 15 years ago, and we succeeded. That was the time when Slovenia truly acted as one, with one will, having only Slovenia in mind," said Drnovsek.
Since then Slovenia has become a respected and relatively successful country. Had someone told us back then that we would have had all that we have now, we would have embraced it without thinking, he said, adding the country faced not only military but also economic challenges, especially with the loss of Yugoslav markets.
Although Slovenians are not always satisfied with themselves, a lot has been achieved, said Drnovsek, and named the successful building of the foundations of a new state and the fact that Slovenia is a successful member of the EU.
Drnovsek was the president of the Yugoslav rotating collective presidency between May 1989 and May 1990. During Slovenia's independence he was one of the main negotiators between the Slovenian and Yugoslav leaderships and the Yugoslav People's Party.
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