Tolerance day, Albania, a role model

Tolerance day, Albania, a role model

Albania continues to support the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

President Ilir Meta stated that Albania could be taken as a unique model in the world for religious tolerance.

According to the Head of State, the Western Balkans has a common challenge and this is Integration into the European Union, thus ending the wounds and insults of the past.

“Albania has an indispensable historical merit in preserving, cultivating and promoting the most sublime values of tolerance and peace.

“We are a model and unique country in the world in particular for tolerance, harmony and religious coexistence.

“It is difficult to find a place in the world where members of the same family may belong to different religions. 

“We are a country where the mosque and the church are located side by side in the same street, and where Muslim and Christian neighbors congratulate and celebrate Eid Mubarak and Christmas together.

“Historically, even though Albania has suffered from unjust wars, ruthless conquests and regimes, it has always found the strength to cultivate, embrace and demonstrate tolerance.

“In the Balkans of the First World War and bloody conflicts of the 1990s, Albania and Albanians offered a rare contribution to the peace, stability and prosperity of the entire region.

“The common challenge of the Western Balkans is that of full integration into the European Union, which dictates to all of us that with the experiences of the past we look to the future, in order to avoid repetition of the consequences of the past.

“We know better than anyone that peace is more difficult to gain and maintain than war.

“We hope and work hard for the Balkans to progress towards a new era, a European perspective without conflicts and without open issues.

“Albania is an untiring contributor to peace, cooperation and good neighborly policy in our region.

“Albania plays its constructive role in promoting normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“We believe that achieving a lasting agreement, which requires the closure of all 'old wounds', would not only guarantee a European perspective for Serbia and Kosovo, but would serve to strengthen the whole European perspective of our region.

“On the other side, we encourage positive developments that will lead to the implementation of the 'Name Agreement' between Greece and Macedonia.

“The finalization with success of these two agreements is a very strong guarantee for the peace and stability of our region, but also of Europe itself.

“The future in peace, tolerance and cooperation in our region lies in the teaching that all our nations in this region, in each state, are somewhere in the Majority and Minority.

“And the only way for a sustainable and lasting coexistence is to use the same standards of respect for minorities from all of us,” declared Ilir Meta.

EMISIONET