President Pahor is to confer on the 106-year-old concentration camp survivor the Order of Exceptional Merits for his life-long contribution to the understanding and connecting of European nations and for relentless efforts for Slovenianhood and democracy, the president's office's wrote.

Boris Pahor told the Trieste-based Slovenian minority paper Primorski Dnevnik today that despite having initial reservations, he decided to accept the honours and dedicate them to everybody who died in concentration camps.

"I'm dedicating the honours to all the dead, all of those I was writing about," the writer said, highlighting the Basovizza group of Slovenian anti-Fascists considered the first victims of fascism in 1930.

The Slovenian and Italian presidents are to attend on Monday in Trieste the signing of a document returning the National Hall to the Slovenian minority.

They also plan to lay wreaths at the Memorial to the Basovizza Heroes, as well as at they Foiba of Basovizza memorial dedicated to Italian victims of post-WWII killings, a decision that has been a point of controversy in recent weeks.