Cyprus hosts ASEM meeting on Interfaith Dialogue

The Asia – Europe Meeting (ASEM) Interfaith Dialogue, hosted by Cyprus and Malaysia, starts today in the southeastern coastal town of Larnaca and runs until July 5.

The President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos will officially open the deliberations of the 2nd ASEM, which will deal with the issue of “Interfaith understanding and cooperation for a peaceful world”.

The first ASEM took place in Bali last July, jointly hosted by Indonesia and the United Kingdom under the overall theme of “Unity in Diversity: Building Interfaith Harmony within the International Community”.

More than 200 delegates from 40 European and South Asian countries as well as from international organisations will participate in the meeting this year, including governmental officials, political and religious leaders, academics, intellectuals and representatives of the Press.

Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs George Lillikas and his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar will address the opening session.

The objective of the Larnaca meeting is to identify ways in which people of different faiths of the respective two regions can move from harmony and understanding, through a solid and permanent dialogue, to fruitful and substantial cooperation, rather than mere side-by-side coexistence.

Three working groups will look into the issues of “Interfaith Understanding”, “The role of the Media in Promoting Interfaith Dialogue” and “Religion and Multiethnic Societies”.

The closing session is expected to adopt the Larnaca Declaration.