Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Hereditary Prince Celebrates UN Membership

Photo: Tatjana Schalzger / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / Vaterland.li
Already in late November and missed by us after we covered the visit of the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Liechtenstein celebrated the 25th anniversary of the country joining the United Nations. The event in Schaan was attended by Hereditary Prince Alois among many others. Pictures of the celebrations at Vaterland, a video at 1 FL TV.

Liechtenstein became a member of the UN in 1990 after refraining from joining the international organisation for decades, both due to internal and external views. Prince Hans-Adam II was the main force behind the Principality joining the organisation, many years against the expressed wishes of the country's leading politicians. The Prince's 1970 so-called Rucksackrede is today considered one of the most important in Liechtenstein's history, leading to a change in both foreign and economic policies. Literally meaning "backpack speech", then Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam called for Liechtenstein to leave Switzerland's backpack, become a fully sovereign state and join international organisations.

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