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During this festive June, Slovenia will celebrate 25 years of independence. It has been an eventful 25 years and not everyone would say that we have created what was dreamed about on 25 June 1991. Fortunately, the moments of happiness we enjoy have taken us by surprise, during times when we have been doing the best we can. This young country of 2 million hearts celebrates these moments and The Slovenia Times remembers them with a Special Souvenir Edition inside this magazine. We proudly present Slovenia through the lens of EU leaders and NATO, and in our regular section we share how our international business partners have fared over this time in this country. In these 25 years, Slovenia has achieved Olympic success and the Olympic spirit is strong, with the country always in the company of those nations with the highest medal count per capita! See why in the article Slovenia: Realisation of an Olympic dream.

While we walk "Under the free sun", as renowned Slovenian writer, Fran Saleški Finžgar, wrote in his historical epic story (Pod svobodnim soncem), other parts of the world still struggle against inexcusable conflicts and, as we often read, fear overcomes the freedom and human rights of a fellow man. Consequently, the refugee crisis that Europe has been facing shows no signs of easing. Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, emphasises in his interview that "Human mobility will be an inherent feature of the 21st century and we have to be better prepared to seize the opportunities and manage the risks".

This year, Slovenia and Russia will mark the 100th anniversary of the inauguration at the Russian Chapel under the Vršič mountain pass. The President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, will participate in the ceremony in late July. We invite you to discover more about the historical and bilateral background of these two countries in the section, Slovenia-Russia.

Finally, I invite you to discover more of The Slovenia Times domestic, international, business and lifestyle topics by flipping through this magazine or browsing our online stories (www.sloveniatimes.com), while enjoying your summer in the embrace of the sea, live music and the free sun.

Truly yours,

Tina Drolc
Editor in Chief