Military action is not enough to fight violent extremism, a change in the political and economic environment and the mentality of people is needed to hit terrorism at its roots, Poland’s former President Aleksander Kwasniewski said on Wednesday.

"If you want to reduce tensions, particularly between countries that had been at war with each other in the course of history, it’s important to propose the realistic politics of reconciliation,” Kwasniewski said in an address to an international conference in Sofia, Bulgaria on Wednesday, according to BGNES.

The conference “Countering Violent Extremism: New Security Agenda for Education and Culture”, co-organized by UNESCO and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, has brought together high-level participants and representatives of the United Nations with the aim to explore the prospects for countering violent extremism through educational initiatives as well as protection of cultural heritage and diversity.