President Milanović at Opening of Summer ELSA Law School in Rijeka
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended today the official opening of the 8th Edition of Summer ELSA Law School at the Faculty of Law of the University of Rijeka, which is focusing on the topic of diplomacy and law.
In his introductory remarks, President Milanović greeted the Summer ELSA Law School participants and expressed gratitude for the invitation, after which he spoke about diplomacy. President Milanović first posed the following question to the participants of the programme: “What is the difference between diplomacy, statesmanship, politics, party politics and political values? To what extent does diplomacy, as one of the fundamental state services, have the capacity to withstand the onslaught of ideology and titan currents of politics in discharging its regular job over years and decades and performing something that is in the interest of the state?”
President Milanović then clarified that he asked this to encourage the summer school participants to think in the context of what diplomacy is and what purpose it serves. As far as the content of diplomacy is concerned, “the more permanent it is, the better for the state. The more volatile and prone it is to cyclical changes, the more typical that is of the countries that do not have permanence. And permanence and stability are something that we all long for in our private, family and national lives,” said President Milanović, emphasizing that diplomacy, statesmanship and politics are intertwined.
Addressing the summer school participants at the official opening apart from President Milanović were ELSA Rijeka President Iman Mrkić and Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Law of the University of Rijeka Ivana Kunda. After his introductory remarks, President Milanović took questions from the summer school participants. ELSA, the European Law Students Association, the organizer of the summer law school, is the largest European, non-profit and non-political law students’ and young lawyers’ association. The primary goal of the school is to expand knowledge in the area of diplomacy and law and to raise student awareness of the importance and impact of the international legal order.
Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković was alongside President Milanović at the opening of Summer ELSA Law School.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia/Dario Andrišek