Turkish President Abdullah Gul Makes Call to Combat Islamophobia
Turkish President said on Thursday that joint action should be taken against xenophobia, Islam phobia, anti Semitism, discrimination and racism.
“Different perceptions about religion and culture driven by hate, invite the risk of divisions and even conflicts among and within our societies,” President Gul said in his address to OSCE summit.
Turkish President Gul underlined that As the current chair of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Turkey would pay particular attention to this topic.
“”I would encourage all of us gathered here in Astana to take the lead in our respective countries in combating these phenomena actively and by speaking out against all forms of hate speech,” added Turkish President .
Turkish President expressed satisfaction over attending the summit in Kazakhstan after the last OSCE summit in Istanbul 11 years ago.
“This is a unique opportunity to reiterate our common will and resolve to overcome our differences and work together in solidarity. This joint work must be based on our OSCE commitments, to create a qualitatively enhanced cooperative security environment.
Abdullah Gul said, “If we prove capable of exhibiting this resolve through our political declaration and giving guidance to our future work at the end of our deliberations here in Astana, this unique Summit will have served its goals and purposes.”
He said, “at the Istanbul Summit in 1999 we reaffirmed the OSCE as a primary organization for the peaceful settlement of disputes within its region. Despite ongoing efforts, the protracted conflicts remain unresolved, undermining the OSCE’s credibility.”
“It is incumbent upon us to make the Astana Summit a turning point in the way we address the protracted conflicts. We should manifest our resolve to utilize the instruments at our disposal and to transform our commitments into deeds,” Gul underlined.
“On its part, Turkey will continue to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan on the basis of their unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Central Asian States are taking great strides in all spheres,” Gul said and added that, “the Kazakh Chairmanship is yet another example of the resolve of Central Asian States to play a more active role in charting the future course of the Organization and contributing to shaping the European and Eurasian security environment.
“Naturally, Central Asia like other regions is not immune to transnational challenges and threats. The OSCE with its institutions and expertise should further contribute to capacity building efforts through its field missions. In this vein, beside our strong bilateral engagement, we have supported the deployment of an OSCE Common Security Initiative in Kyrgyzstan by nominating qualified police officers,” he said.
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