Skopje, 5 September 2023 (MIA) - After the 1963 devastating earthquake, Skopje was an example of international cooperation and solidarity. Skopje is a city rebuilt on the foundations of solidarity. We need citizens committed to peace. Peace must be built starting from the individual up to the society as a whole, heard the Skopje Cultural Diplomacy Forum on Tuesday.

Former President Gjorge Ivanov said in the opening remarks that the forum is taking place in the year marking the 60th anniversary of the Skopje earthquake that killed 1,070 people and injured more than 3,000.

"This forum highlights the power and significance of cultural diplomacy, namely soft power, the required international cooperation and the necessity of peace across the globe," said Ivanov.

We need citizens of the world, he added, who are committed to peace and care for the poor, such as Mother Teresa.

"Peace should not be sought in the loud silence of the cemetery but in our hearts and souls," said Ivanov.

The inaugural Skopje Cultural Diplomacy Forum focuses on promoting democracy, unity and peace through cultural diplomacy in a new era of conflict and violence through panel discussions, meetings and visits of state institutions for exchange of ideas and opinions on a number of topics.

The forum includes former heads of state of Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania, Ivo Josipovic, Boris Tadic, Petar Stoyanov and Bamir Topi respectively, and former Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chairman Mladen Ivanic, discussing cultural dialogue and exchange in the Western Balkans.

Bundestag member Armin Laschet, former Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, former Member of European Parliament (MEP) Elmar Brok, ex-PMs of Moldova and Lebanon, Natalya Gavrilita and Hassan Diab respectively, and incumbent MPs from Scotland, Croatia, Romania, Ireland and the EP also take part.

The forum is co-organized by Gjorge Ivanov's Office, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy-Berlin, the City of Skopje and International Center Alliance of Civilizations, in the framework of “The Forum on Democracy & Peace 2022-27” project.