Minister Zenka visiting Bishop's home in Cetinje: Montenegro necessary as a commitment to total preservation of harmony and coexistence

Basic values ​​are the foundation not only of faith but also of the rich coexistence in multireligious and multinational state of Montenegro, said Minister for Human and Minority Rights Mehmed Zenka during his visit Bishop's home in Cetinje.

The Minister and his associates Zana Filipovic Acting Director General for Relations with Religious Communities and Katarina Pecovic advisor, thanked the Metropolitan of Montenegro Mihail for the invitation to exchange opinions on the importance and contribution of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church to the interreligious total synergy in Montenegro. Zenka estimates as very important necessity that all citizens should equally advocate the total preservation of harmony and co-existence and further development of the Montenegrin society in that direction.

He noted that even though all religions preach one truth and actually aspire to unilaterally arrange socity, and on the other hand  nations by internal logic weight aspire to creation nation-states, in Montenegro for centuries all nations and religious communities seek and find models of living together. All this is closely connected with the fact that Montenegro is today a reliable factor of stability in the Region, as well as with its course for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, concluded Zenka.

Metropolitan Mihailo thanked Minister Zenka  for the visit and stated that he is the first Minister in charge of religious issues who has visited  the oldest Orthodox Montenegrin institution since its the renewal of the Montenegrin Ortodox Church in the nineties. Metropolitan introduced  Minister and his associates with the activities that the Montenegrin Ortodox Church implemented so far, future plans, and the problems they face in their work. Accordingly, the Metropolitan expressed his expectation that the Law on freedom of religion will to be adopted in the near future.

During the meeting it was noted that the significance of the mentioned law is great and that everyone in Montenegro is aware of the seriousness of the process of its adoption, and that it must also comply with all European standards. They agreed thatbecause of every reason, this law is of particular importance, and that time cannot be at the expense of the quality of its text, because Montenegro is committed to preserving its interfaith diversity, tolerance and harmony as one of its greatest assets, which is how it is recognized.

After the meeting, Minister and his associates visited the church dedicated to the Holy Venerable Ivan Crnojevic - founder of Cetinje.

The Ministry for Human and Minority Rights