Grand Mufti met with Kristalina Georgieva in Brussels

“We have in Bulgaria one very good example which we have to present to the world, and namely the peaceful co-existence of Christians, Muslims and Jews”, said the Grand Mufti Dr. Mustafa Hadzhi during his meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva in Brussels.

“Religions are to bring people together, not to disunite them. They are not a purpose but a tool through which people can get to know each other. Like in democracy, everything is at service of people”, further said the Grand Mufti.

According to him in the context of what is happening in a worldly scale, the danger in Bulgaria can come from artificial injection of the tension inside the country. At this stage there are no other occasions for concern observed. The Bulgarian nation is very wise and does not give way to extremist provocations.

“The quality performance of the Denomination passes through the constructive relations with the state, we see a certain development in terms of this and this is of a great importance”, said the religious leader. According to him prevention is an activity, which involves all institutions in the country. People should be able to trust it and to feel it.

The EC Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva said that Bulgaria is a good example for peaceful co-existence of people with different religions. That is why it should be known more about our country and the participation of our religious leaders in international forums is of a great importance for the popularization of this example.

The Grand Mufti presented the necessity of transparent financing of the activities of the Denomination. One of the possible sources of funding is the EU funds in the Rural Development Program. The European Commissioner for the Budget and Human Resources promised to assist with information in terms of this.

The meeting was held on 29^th of November, this year, as a part of the official visit of the Grand Mufti in Brussels. He was on a three-day visit in the Belgian capital on the occasion of his participation in an international conference entitled:  “A new inclusive and optimistic Europe: celebrating and learning from good inter-cultural practice”, organized by EMISCO with the participation of representatives of the monotheistic religions. The program included also a meeting with our Ambassador in Brussels and the Bulgarian Muslim community in Belgium.