Extremism biggest problem in Slovakia

Slovakia is ready to take an active part in the process of addressing the problems surrounding religious extremism and terrorism that also hide behind the veneer of Islam, Vice-Premier and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák said at the meeting with ambassadors from Arabic countries based in Bratislava on Thursday. In the wake of recent tragic events in Paris and the thwarted terror attack in Belgium, Lajčák and the ambassadors from Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, Iraq and Libya discussed the issues of political Islam, radicalism and the abuse of Islam by terrorists. "Terrorism represents one of the gravest threats not only for the Middle East but also for us in Europe and the whole world," stressed minister Lajčák. "In the fight against terrorism, the Western world and Islamic world stand on the same side and only the joint effort can lead to the desired results. The defeat of extremism and terrorism is important not only for the protection of our values but also for our identity as civilized societies. Therefore, the need to communicate together is stronger now than ever." Lajčák also underlined that terrorism and extremism are not the issue of Islam as a religion but are rather linked to globalization, migration and social problems. Slovakia rejects any racial or religious intolerance, radicalism and fundamentalism as well as the linking of terrorism to Islam.