Following two days of in-depth debates on burning global issues, the 10th Bled Strategic Forum closed on Tuesday afternoon to assessments that the centrepiece event of Slovenian foreign policy has again outdone itself.
The organisers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and the Centre for European Perspective, expressed satisfaction with the meeting that brought together around 700 participants from over 60 countries. Among them were two presidents, three primer ministers, more than a dozen ministers and two European Commissioners.
Slovenian Foreign Minister, Mr Karl Erjavec, stressed at the close of the event that this year’s BSF had been a resounding success. “The Bled Strategic Forum is well on its way to becoming the main international political event in the region,” Mr Erjavec said.
He highlighted that the event has surpassed its original political framework, bringing together economists and business officials for the Business BSF and future leaders for the Young BSF.
The annual event has been promoting Slovenia and its beauties ever since its launch in 2006 and “I believe that the 11th BSF will be yet another step forward”, bringing together even more prominent guests.
Running under the title Visions of New Partnerships, the main topics of the 10th BSF included intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean, the importance of international criminal law and the development of the Western Balkans.
The event was also an opportunity for direct dialogue with participants. Mr Erjavec held 13 bilateral meetings of which the central topic was the migration crisis. “We believe that we do not have all the answers as to the scope of the new challenge,” Mr Erjavec noted, but the debates in Bled will provide a platform for further policy action.