The Church of St. George in the village of Mala Recica in Macedonia was set on fire Tuesday night but did not burn down fortunately thanks to the quick reaction of the local populace, mainly Albanians.

The incident occurred late Tuesday, shortly after a meeting of the heads of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community of Macedonia with President Gjorge Ivanov, who denounced every incident that violates peace and religious tolerance. Police are searching for the perpetrators.

Late Monday, the two centuries old St. Nicholas church in the village of Labunista near the town of Struga was also set on fire. The church's roof was partly destroyed but its icons were not damaged, the fire service said.

In the last few days tensions have increased in this part of Macedonia, after ethnic Albanians living in this area launched protests due to, as they put it, offences against them at the recent traditional carnival in the nearby village of Vevcani, in the surrounding of Struga.

At the carnival on January 13 and 14, one of the masks satirically mocked Islam's holy book Quran. Last weekend, Albanian citizens headed by the Struga mufti held protests which urged revanchism. All political parties and leaders of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community are calling for peace and tolerance.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who is visiting Turkey, called on all citizens, regardless of ethnic origin, not to fall for provocations.