Prague, June 14 (CTK) – Europe must give some prospects for the future to the people so that they do not embrace any radicalism, Czech and Slovak foreign ministers, Lubomir Zaoralek and Miroslav Lajcak, said at a conference on EU future on Wednesday.
Zaoralek and Lajcak spoke in a panel along with Austrian ambassador to Prague Alexander Grubamayr.
They said the growing radicalism was a global problem, while it was necessary to proceed jointly to achieve its solution.
Zaoralek said the rising radicalism was connected with globalisation which caused uncertainty when it comes to the future and with the fear of falling to poverty in many people.
The spread of Communism and Fascism was a reaction to the previous waves of globalisation, he added.
“We have a vital and serious task: to find a way with which to avoid equally serious consequences,” Zaoralek said.
Zaoralek also spoke about the connection between education and radicalisation of society.
He said thanks to the access to education and information, people were trying to influence more the public events.
If they do not succeed in this, also due to large economic discrepancies in the countries, some groups of people lose their life prospects, he added.
They then easily succumb to radicalisation and become a threat, Zaoralek said.
Lajcak stressed if European society wanted to defeat radicalism, due to which security was worsening, it had to work on the strengthening and advocacy of its own ideals.
“Violent extremists are not born. People become violent extremists,” Lajcak said.
It is a task for Europe to combat hatred and violence by integration and to offer sensible alternative to extremist and populist arguments, he added.
“It is not enough to react to terrorism by force. We must try to prevent fights and violence, focusing on prevention,” Lajcak said.
“Peace is untenable if we do not manage to push out extremist narratives,” he added.
