president of the Association of Slovenians in Hungary 

In the late 80s, a wave of democratic reforms swept through the eastern part of Europe, including Hungary as well as Slovenia. 25 years ago, on 27 October 1990, the Association of Slovenians in Hungary was established in Zgornji Senik. We were allowed to dream, we dared to dream and we believed in new days; in a new future. As the first independent organisation, we closely followed the developments in Slovenia. Of course we were happy when the independent state, the Republic of Slovenia, was declared and when the results of the plebiscite were announced. We believed and hoped we would get our own independent state that would look after us Slovenians living in Hungary.

I am proud and glad that I was able to attend the declaration of independence of the Republic of Slovenia in Ljubljana on 25 June, 1991. Slovenians in Hungary witnessed great historic events in both Hungary and in Slovenia. 

We gained a mother state that, from the very beginning, was aware that Slovenians lived in Hungary. We became equal members of the community of ethnic Slovenians living in the border regions of neighbouring countries. Since our mother state became independent, we have been putting efforts into preserving our mother tongue and culture in the areas in which we live.

The 25th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence is a good opportunity to look back and estimate the results we achieved in this period. I hope that, thanks to the moral and financial support of the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenians in Hungary have helped enrich the common Slovenian cultural space. Let this be our gift for the 25th anniversary of our independent and successful mother state, the Republic of Slovenia.