Respected President of the European Academy Professor Unger,
Respected President Fischer,
Respected President Nikolic,
Esteemed members of the European Academy,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be among you today as we celebrate this important jubilee. For Europe, science and art have always defined its past deeds, present potentials and future possibilities.
I congratulate the European Academy for its 25 years of successful work.
I also congratulate my Serbian colleague and friend, President Nikolic, for being elected protector of this European Academy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

"There will no doubt come time when all the peoples of Europe will feel that they must regulate matters of general interest before moving to matters of national interest. Then evils will decrease, troubles abate, and wars die out. That is the ultimate direction in which we are steadily moving!"

These visionary words of Saint-Simon were written in 1814, in the eve of the Congress of Vienna, convened to establish peace in Europe. A hundred years later, the fragile peace in the deeply divided continent collapsed.

It was only after two world wars in which Europe entered disunited and came out desolated that the seed planted by peacemakers finally started to bear fruit. Their vision gradually managed to bridge physical and mental trenches, to extinguish the centuries-old enmities and to heal the deep wounds.

Today, most of Europe shares the benefits of the accomplished vision – the European Union. We must not forget, however, that this noble peace project is facing serious challenges related to its unity.

Excellencies,

Standing before you today are presidents of two European countries, Macedonia and Serbia, which are still in the waiting room of EU. Those who tell us that there is an enlargement fatigue should not forget that there is also а fatigue of waiting. Here, in the cultural and intellectual heartland of Europe, we call upon the Union to truly unite Europe. Because, the Union cannot speak on behalf of Europe until it unites all of Europe.

However, the only thing worse than disunited Europe is Europe united against its ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversity.

The crisis of moral and ethical values is breaking apart two interdependent European values – the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion. As a result, across our continent we see disturbing signs of xenophobia casting its dark shadow on the democratic landscape of Europe.

We believe in Europe united not in uniformity but in respect and acceptance of diversity. After all, democracy is not only the right to be equal, but also the right to be different.

"Unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and charity in all things," wrote St. Augustine. This unity implies that we respect and accept one another. As we witness the negative effects of integration with assimilation, we provide the positive example of the Macedonian model of integration without assimilation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Confident in its intellectual capacity to seek answers and propose wise solutions to these pressing issues, I call upon all of you to help the Academy in this important task. To create for this and future generations Europe united as a continent of freedom, peace and respect of diversity.

Thank you.