A World of Parallel Realities

The event was opened by Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres (via video message). The forum included the Prime Ministers of Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia: Andrej Plenković, Robert Golob, Milojko Spajić, Edi Rama, and Miloš Vučević, as well as the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In addition to the Prime Minister, Croatia was also represented by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, who participated in a panel discussion on “the search for stability in chaos” alongside his Slovenian counterpart Fajon and Hungarian colleague Péter Szijjártó. This year's forum addressed the end of a “relative, often deceptive period of peace”. “The Russian aggression against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, both with unimaginable humanitarian consequences, serve as a powerful and catastrophic reminder of what happens when the international community fails to act and uphold the necessary responsibility for global stability,” was stated in the announcement. The forum called for a return to multilateral cooperation based on shared principles of democracy, human rights, and a rules-based order, but acknowledged that these principles may not be widely accepted today. Key topics included international security, economic development, sustainability, and human rights. The forum serves as an important platform for promoting dialogue and seeking solutions to modern challenges, bringing together heads of state and government, as well as key decision-makers from politics, business, and civil society from around the world.