David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

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Thursday 23 October, 2008

"For a small country Europe is heaven"

This comment by a leading Slovenian politician on the first day of the Queen's State Visit brought me up short. And then I thought about the history. Slovenia was always the richest and most westernised part of former Yugoslavia. Today it is a member of the EU and NATO, the first accession country to hold the EU's rotating presidency (earlier this year), a country confident in its nationhood and also in its internationalism.

The security of the EU is heaven if your history over centuries is of empires coming and going, domination from Vienna or later Belgrade being a permanent preoccupation - and that is the Slovene experience. Tito held Yugoslavia together but the rotating republic after 1980 satisfied no one. Slovenia escaped the worst of the 1990s break up but there is a clear sense that 2008 - EU presidency, HM Queen visit - marks what a senior diplomat calls "maturity ... deciding things for ourselves rather than following others' rules".  It's been a worthwhile visit.

Posted at 12:36 23 October 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[3]

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"For a small country Europe is heaven". It's good to see a senior member of the Labour party lending credence to David Cameron's assertion that, "Scotland can stand alone". A Scotland, "confident in its nationhood and also in its internationalism", is just what is needed in Europe and "...deciding things for ourselves rather than following others' rules", is exactly what the SNP is all about. Welcome aboard Dave.

Posted by Dougthedug on October 23, 2008 at 07:36 PM BST #

Is it acceptable for Slovenia as an EU member state the only one and President to have bilateral relations with Republika Srpska?

Posted by Owen on October 24, 2008 at 07:50 PM BST #

Greetings from Falkirk and the small country in Europe called Scotland! Can you help? For the past 11 weeks we have been promoting a Worldwide Toast to Robert Burns across the globe. Toasts are already being counted at our bespoke Toast website culminating with a Guinness World RecordTM Attempt this Sunday. Though Toasts can be recorded for Suppers held up to February 7th. We are two people passionate about Scotland and felt we had to give something back to Robert Burns at this once in a lifetime event, his 250th Anniversary. We have the best wishes of many including Prince Charles and the First Minister! Please join in at www.worldwidetoasttorobertburns.com and spread the word Thank you Julie Deans & Steve Higson

Posted by Steve Higson on January 23, 2009 at 11:03 AM GMT #

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