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Barbara Miklič Türk

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Barbara Miklič Türk
Former First Lady Barbara Miklič Türk in 2009
Miklič Türk in 2009
First Lady of Slovenia
In role
23 December 2007 – 22 December 2012
PresidentDanilo Türk
Preceded byVacant (2002–2007)
Succeeded byTanja Pečar
Personal details
Born
Barbara Miklič

1948 (age 75–76)

Barbara Miklič Türk (née Miklič, born 1948) is a Slovenian politician, who was First Lady of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012, when her husband Danilo Türk was President.

Personal life

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Miklič was born in 1948 in Ljubljana, Socialist Republic of Slovenia (now the capital of the Republic of Slovenia). Her father was a miner and geophysical engineer, and her mother was a microbiologist.[1] During her teenage years, she lived with her family in Sudan, and went to a Catholic school there.[1] In 1975, she met Danilo Türk whilst working as a librarian at the United Nations.[1] The couple married a year later, and have a daughter, Helen.[1]

Political career

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In 2006, Barbara's husband Danilo became the third President of the Republic of Slovenia, and as such, Barbara Miklič Türk became the First Lady.[1][2][3] Speaking in 2010, Miklič Türk said that the role was less well-defined than the First Lady of the United States, and mostly consisted of accompanying her husband on state business.[3]

In 2008, Miklič Türk attended the first state visit of Queen Elizabeth II since Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. During the visit, she spoke with them about non-governmental organisations.[3][4] In 2010, Miklič Türk hosted a conference for Finnish volunteer organisations in the fields of health and social care.[5] In 2011, she attended the opening of the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík, Iceland.[6] During a state visit from the Emir of Qatar, Miklič Türk prepared a visit for the First Lady of Qatar to the University of Ljubljana to meet the rector and discuss inter-nation co-operation.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Barbara Miklič-Türk – kratek življenjepis" (in Slovenian). Government of Slovenia. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Slovenia nominates its ex-president Turk as candidate for U.N. secretary". Reuters. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Intervju: Barbara Miklič Türk, soproga predsednika države". Viva (in Slovenian). 18 October 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Queen begins Slovenia state visit". BBC News. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Barbara Miklič Türk gostila predstavnike finskih prostovoljskih organizacij". Slovenian Press Agency (in Slovenian). 5 May 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Photos: Grand Opening of New Iceland Concert Hall Harpa". Iceland Review. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2018.