As part of the initiative "Spiritual Dialogues" initiated by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, a debate was held today in the Cabinet of the President on "Freedom of religion and creating a world safe for diversity".

At the debate moderated by Prof. Branislav Sarkanjac, despite President Ivanov, Prof. Dr. Oz Guinness took part who is one of the leading religion sociologists, political commentator and author of numerous books.

In his address, President Ivanov spoke of the Macedonian model of coexistence and the concept which is authentic in the Republic of Macedonia and that is respect between religious communities rather than tolerance.

"Macedonia has a tradition that is different from some countries in the Balkans and in Europe. With the democracy, in particular through the Ohrid Framework Agreement, we have implemented it in our political system and in our Constitution, and it is the tradition of inclusion rather than exclusion. It is not only in the Ohrid Agreement but also in the manifestoes from our past such as the Krusevo Manifesto and the ASNOM Manifesto. This tradition creates integration without assimilation, respect instead of tolerance", President Ivanov said.

President Ivanov noted that the multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious Kumanovo is "little Macedonia" and there was a violent attempt to disrupt the most precious we have - the Macedonian model of coexistence and respect for diversity, but the Macedonian citizens did not allow it. This tradition, the Macedonian President added, has a great role in maintaining the Republic of Macedonia, especially in times of challenge.

Professor Guinness, one of the most famous social commentators from the United States, spoke about the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human right, the impact of religions as well as different models of religious freedom that exist in the world today.

"The first reason for the importance of religious freedom is that it is first of all human rights. It goes along with the three political rights such as the conscience, speech and gathering. The second important reason is that religious freedom is the secret of a civil society. The society is sound if a layer of voluntary organizations exists in which people are free to invest their time, energy and money in what they believe, and thus make reforms. The third reason is that religious freedom is the key to harmony in one society. Diversity along with freedom provide for this harmony", Professor Guinness said.

Among the guests present at the discussion were Ms. Valentina Bozinovska, Director of the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities and Religious Groups, representatives of the educational and academic institutions, including the Orthodox Theological Faculty "Sv. Kliment Ohridski"-Skopje, Tetovo State University, South East European University in Tetovo, the Holocaust Memorial Center of the Jews from Macedonia and representatives of the NGO sector in the Republic of Macedonia active in the field of inter-religious dialogue.