While my country, the Republic of Macedonia, is a member of the Human Rights Council, my fellow citizens face denial of their right to identity and language, said President of Macedonia Gjorgje Ivanov at the high segment of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, which held in Geneva.
“Front pages are flooded with news of hundreds of thousands exiled, savagely murdered and missing. We hear about religious extremism, for indoctrination, radicalization and recruiting young people on the battlefields of Middle East and North Africa. But we also hear about mocking religion. As the secular world was shocked by the attacks against freedom of speech, so non-secular world was shocked by the secular attacks against freedom of religion. The media have a very important role in the field of human rights. But we should be aware that the greatest enemy of freedom is unlimited freedom. The West has developed the concept of tolerance. In Macedonia, however, applies something more than toleration, and that is respect and acceptance of diversity. The difference between the two concepts is essential because you tolerate what you must and respect what you want. While tolerance is one-way, respect and acceptance is a two-way process. Testifying for the negative effects of integration with assimilation, we offer a positive example of the Macedonian model of integration without assimilation. Macedonian model of coexistence that it inherited from ancestors and we develop for descendants, is based on the principle of openness and dialogue. Because one that communicates, is integrated, while one that does not communicate, is ghettoized. Our model is not perfect, but it provides a greater opportunity to facilitate achievement of individual and collective administration of identity rights. Therefore, the Republic of Macedonia is fully committed to intercultural and inter-religious dialogue,” said President Ivanov.
With High segment, today began 28th session of the Council for Human Rights of the United Nations, which will be held in the next four weeks.
Ivanov today met with the Chairman of the Council, Joachim Ruecker, and High Commissioner for Human Rights Council, Zein Raad al Hussein.
