The event, organised by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Municipality of Nova Gorica and the public institution GO!2025, represented an extraordinary showcase for the Slovenian city and the cross-border region it shares with Gorizia, in view of the prestigious title it will obtain in 2025.

The day, which began with a reception and performances of video, music and dance, reached its climax during a panel discussion in which the Slovenian Minister of Culture, Asta Vrecko, spoke. The debate emphasised the link between culture, tourism and sport.

The round table highlighted how major events are moments of departure - and not of arrival - to improve the offer and life in cities. Moments of collective reflection to think about the common future and also indicate a direction to the institutions, policy makers, and economic actors of a territory. From Paris, Tomaž Konrad, Deputy Director of GECT GO, says: "In the city, there is no distinction between the Olympic Games and everyday life; in all urban spaces, in parks, in squares, it is one between citizens, tourists, fans, delegations. The event has engulfed and transformed the whole city. Any language can be heard and there is a very friendly spirit among people, like a general cheerfulness that overcomes differences. Although on a different scale, we hope that these two elements will also characterise GO!2025: the involvement of cities and citizens and the borderless spirit'.

Romina Kocina, Director of Gect GO, a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation based in Gorizia, confirms that 'sport and its culture will be one of the topics of the GO!2025 European Capital Year, which is why we are happy to have been able to present the project in the most iconic venue, the Paris Olympics, and we are grateful to the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, which has acted as ambassador for this imminent goal'.

The evening was enlivened by the evocative choreography of the MN Dance Company, a project partner of the official GO! 2025 programme, which offered contemporary dance styles and street dance in a performance with dancers B-Boy TomiFly and B-Boy Tchantcho. The rhythms of the Slovenian music group Manouche finally closed the night at Casa Slovenia.

Against a backdrop of connections and encounters between cultures, the 'borderless' slogan of the European Capital of Culture 2025 was thus arrived at, and connecting Nova Gorica and Paris is not only this, but also the fact that the last king of France, Charles X, is buried in the Franciscan abbey of Castagnavizza. The other transalpine kings and queens, on the other hand, rest in the basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris. This is why the Slovenian municipality and the municipality of Saint-Denis signed a cooperation agreement, particularly in the fields of tourism and culture.

A highlight during the event was the signing of the twinning agreement between the municipality of Nova Gorica and the municipality of Saint-Denis, site of the Paris Olympic village.

It will be remembered that Saint Denis was one of the candidate municipalities to become the European Capital of Culture for 2028, a title later won by Bourges.

The signing took place at the town hall of Saint-Denis, which houses the tombs of the monarchs. The aim is to increase the interest of the French in visiting the area and the Franciscan abbey on the border with Gorizia, with Nova Gorica itself working to have the site become a monument of national importance. "With this agreement," commented Mayor Samo Turel, "we wish to strengthen relations not only between the two municipalities, but also to ensure an exchange of good practices between non-governmental organisations, associations and individuals.

"We also hope to collaborate in the field of tourism so that Nova Gorica, when we are European Capital of Culture and in the following years, can attract an increasing number of French tourists," concluded the first citizen. The deputy mayor of Saint-Denis, Yannick Caillet, on the other hand, emphasised: 'We are very honoured to have been able to welcome the Slovenian delegation to our municipality today. During our visit to Nova Gorica, we agreed with the mayor, Samo Turel, to start a cooperation and to confirm it with an agreement'.

'The agreement has been signed,' he concluded, 'and now the path to closer ties begins. We are very satisfied and proud to be part of this history'. Ljubljana's Minister of Culture, Asta Vrečko, baptised the agreement, pointing out that 'the Franciscan abbey of Castagnavizza will soon be declared a monument of national importance by the government at the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, and we are also financing the restoration work'.

The presentation of GO!2025 at the Olympic Games in Paris was not only an opportunity to showcase the cultural liveliness of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, but also an opportunity to reflect on the common future and to chart new directions for cultural and tourism policies, involving the institutions, policy makers and economic actors in the area.