For a few hours in 2001, Slovenia became the center of the media world; on June 16 of that year, the recently elected presidents of the United States and Russia met for the first time at Brdo Castle – and George W. Bush famously caught a glimpse into Vladimir Putin’s soul.
The announcement caught most Slovenians by surprise: In the late spring of 2001, the White House and the Kremlin announced that the town of Brdo, about 30 kilometers north of Ljubljana, would become the site for the first meeting between Presidents Bush and Putin. Before World War II, it served as a residence of the Yugoslav royal family, and in Communist times, it was a favored retreat of President Tito.
As the event approached, the world’s media descended into Slovenia. On June 16, 2001, journalists from around the world headed to Brdo, where they reported on the historic summit.
The meeting between the two presidents was largely symbolic. The two leaders discussed topics such as nuclear weapons, missile defense, rogue regimes, and Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization. The territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia were also on the agenda, long before Russia’s actions in those countries dominated the world’s headlines.
The Bush-Putin summit was also not the last international gathering in Slovenian history. In 2008, Bush returned to Brdo Castle for an EU-U.S. summit, once again giving Slovenia its 15 minutes of international fame.
Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, echoing Clinton's comments two years ago, hailed Slovenia as the success story of the Balkans.
"It seems to be a very good place to meet the Russian president and also to meet the Slovenes, because, frankly, in the Balkan story, Slovenia is a pretty remarkable success story," Rice said.
Slovenia regards the choice as a birthday present for the 10th anniversary of its independence, which it will celebrate a week after the summit.
The country was the first to break away from former Yugoslavia in 1991 and the summit is seen as the most important global event on its territory in modern history.
Bush and Putin will separately meet Kucan and Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek before holding their first bilateral talks at a medieval castle at Brdo Castle, a 500-hectare government estate some 25 kilometers north of Ljubljana.
Both Putin and Bush are approaching the summit in the castle with caution, with relations in recent months frosty over U.S. missile defense plans, spy scandals and Russia's growing military and nuclear ties with Iran.
http://www.khalistan.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brdo_Castle_near_Kranj
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/01/world/yeltsin-resigns-overview-yeltsin-resigns-naming-putin-acting-president-run-march.html
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/02/russia-pushes-reset-button-parades-missile-marked-to-be-personally-delivered-to-obama/
http://www.newsmax.com/World/GlobalTalk/Russia-Hillary-Clinton-2016/2014/03/04/id/556053/
