Q:
A:
Any form of persecution on religious grounds is incomprehensible
Belgrade,
29 July 2005
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said in a written statement today, on the occasion of imprisoning Bishop Jovan of Ohrid, that there are certain values accepted as binding by all countries and he stressed that the right to profess faith freely and without sanctions is certainly among those values.
“Any form of persecution and the punishing of people on religious grounds, as is the case with Bishop Jovan, is incomprehensible and profoundly in collision with the common interest of all countries, that being to improve and develop friendly relations in the region.
“Serbia is committed to the shared European and civilised principles and it is in favour of cherishing good relations with its neighbours. For this reason, we expect others to respect these undisputable values as well, in order to show that the Balkan peoples can build a stable region by themselves.
“Therefore, I believe that taking a church dignitary to prison is an incomprehensible decision that breaches the declared values of all countries. Releasing Bishop Jovan is the least, and at the same time the best, the Macedonian authorities can do at this moment”, reads the Prime Minister’s statement.
“Serbia is committed to the shared European and civilised principles and it is in favour of cherishing good relations with its neighbours. For this reason, we expect others to respect these undisputable values as well, in order to show that the Balkan peoples can build a stable region by themselves.
“Therefore, I believe that taking a church dignitary to prison is an incomprehensible decision that breaches the declared values of all countries. Releasing Bishop Jovan is the least, and at the same time the best, the Macedonian authorities can do at this moment”, reads the Prime Minister’s statement.
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