Tuerk Says Today Chance to Reflect on Win over Fascism, Nazism
President Danilo Tuerk told a ceremony in Begunje na Gorenjskem on Sunday that the National Liberation Struggle confirmed the vitality of the Slovenia nation, enabling it to create its own state and take its place in the EU half a century later.
Speaking near Katzenstein Castle, which used to house Gestapo-run jails during the Nazi occupation, Tuerk said that Resistance Day was an "opportunity to remember and reflect about the greatness of the National Liberation Struggle and the global nature of the fight against Fascism and Nazism".
He told the crowd of around 1,500, including Prime Minister Janez Jansa and several other members of the Slovenian cabinet, opposition party officials and war veterans, that this was a holiday of basic values: freedom, courage, ingenuity and culture.
The decision to fight the occupation was the biggest decision of the time and demanded a clear commitment to national survival, Tuerk added in his address.
"Slovenia must always be aware of the fact that it fought on the right side in World War II, the righteous side, which also ended up being the winning side, one that managed to eradicate the criminal ideologies of Fascism and Nazism off the face of the earth," the president added.
He highlighted the violence of the occupiers and the violations of international law that took place during the second world war.
"Sometimes we hear claims from people, including some at the very top in neighbouring countries, suggesting that the suffering began only towards the end of World War II. These claims lack merit and credibility," he said.
He added that it was a fact that the post-war period brought new tragedies and crimes, including persecution and execution of those perceived to have helped the losing side. This wave of violence gripped the whole of central and eastern Europe, which is why Slovenia should not assume more of the moral burden than it needs to, Tuerk said.
"All those who died deserve to have their peace. And today, more than 60 years after the war, we all deserve to live in peace and reconciliation. But Slovenia continues to deal with the issue of reconciliation in an often intolerant and overly politicised way," he added.
Tuerk went on to say that people expect too much of reconciliatory events instead of opting for small every-day gestures to heal the wounds and divisions of the past.
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