On Tuesday, 29 September, there was an official opening of the Slovenian language department in Sarajevo. The language department was already operational from 1955-1992 when it was closed due to the war. After sixty years it came to life again and that is a great event for both states. New lector is Pavel Ocepek.
Opening of the language department is of symbolic and practical importance as it affects the relations among states. Relations between Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are constant and language may be a significant connecting factor. The Slovenian language at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo will not only be an academic subject, there will be organised courses for all those who need the language for economic cooperation. Cooperation between the Faculty of Philosophy in Ljubljana and Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, after the interruption due to the war, restarted as early as in 1997 and there have been a lot of exchanges of students and professors. Common high education area means more opportunities for the opening of the university. In one year they overcame bureaucratic obstacles and signed a contract on establishing language department. This would not be possible without the great support by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Bosnia-Herzegovina and cooperation by Centre for Slovenian as second/foreign language. It is the desire of the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo that the need for Bosnian language department be recognised in Ljubljana.
One of the speakers at the opening was Mr. Gorazd Žmavc, Minister for Slovenians Abroad. Beside him, speakers were also Prof. Muharem Avdispahić PhD, rector of University in Sarajevo, Prof. Salih Fočo PhD, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Sarajevo, Prof. Branka Kalenić Ramšak PhD, dean of Faculty of Philosophy in Ljubljana, and Iztok Grmek, M.Sc., Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Bosnia-Herzegovina. They emphasised they now continued where the story was interrupted twenty-three years ago. In the past years, there were also supply teaching lessons of Slovenian organised in Sarajevo. The language department will acknowledge efforts invested in expanding the Slovenian language and culture and that is why Ambassador Iztok Grmek mentioned teacher of supply teaching lessons of Slovenian Ana Pulko and lector Pavle Ocepek as significant collaborators of the Embassy. The dean Branka Kalenić Ramšak mentioned the beginning of the new school year as "the happy day" because the Slovenian guests presented 350 books to the library of Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. She emphasised: "Now, when Europe is flooded by refugees, we wonder again whether to build walls or bridges. There is only one answer: bridges are to be built." Opening of the language department confirms the faith in co-existence of peoples. This event was very important for Slovenians living in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was confirmed by the attendance of representatives of Slovenian associations in Sarajevo, Kakanj, Zenica and Banja Luka, as well as president of Slovenian Associations’ Union in Bosnia-Herzegovina »Europe Now« Darko Mijatović. Introductory speeches were followed by cultural programme prepared by Pavel Ocepek. Significant words at the opening were dialogue and cooperation, while Pavel Ocepek also added the word love as he entitled the modern poetry recital as »Road to love and a bit further«.
