Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Istanbul: Erdogan Skips Eu Mention In Keynote Speech At Party Congre

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Istanbul: Erdogan Skips Eu Mention In Keynote Speech At Party Congre

    ERDOGAN SKIPS EU MENTION IN KEYNOTE SPEECH AT PARTY CONGRESS

    Today's Zaman
    Sept 30 2012
    Turkey

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, delivering a historic
    speech at his party's congress on Sunday, made no mention of reforms
    required in the European Union accession process.

    However, in a 2009 speech, he made it clear that Turkey would stick
    to the EU path despite difficulties, and would continue to adopt
    reforms to raise Turkey's standards. His criticism for the EU was
    limited to the extent that Turkey faced some injustices at the hands
    of some European countries acting on populist politics.

    Erdogan called on the German government to take necessary steps to
    protect the freedom of belief, stressing that placing a photograph of
    a headscarf-wearing woman on a billboard with the purpose of profiling
    all Muslims in Germany as extremists violates the rights of Muslims.

    "It is impossible to accept the attitude adopted against girls wearing
    headscarves in Germany. Placing a portrait of a woman wearing a
    headscarf on billboards cannot be regarded as respect for the freedom
    of belief," said Erdogan.

    Recent attacks on Islam's sacred values and the Prophet Muhammad were
    also on the receiving end of criticism in the speech.

    Speaking in reference to the California-made anti-Islam film
    denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, Erdogan stated that humiliating
    or insulting a religion and the sacred values of a religion cannot
    be considered as falling within the scope of freedom of expression
    and thought.

    "Islamophobia is a crime against humanity and hatred," said Erdogan,
    adding that Turkey will continue to fight against hate speech, racism
    and the clash of civilizations.

    Erdogan commented that Turkey will continue to raise the issue on
    both national and international platforms. "We are discussing the
    issue with world leaders on different platforms," said Erdogan. "We
    are condemning the assaults against Muslims."

    Erdogan also criticized the Western world for staying silent over
    Islamophobia. "Immediate action must be taken against racism, which
    has escalated with the rise of anti-Islam rhetoric in the Western
    world," said Erdogan.

    He also called on France to take the necessary action against cartoons
    mocking the Prophet published in a satirical magazine, attempting to
    create a crisis similar to that surrounding cartoons printed in Denmark
    in 2005. "France must take steps. Otherwise it will harm the [United
    Nations] Alliance of Civilizations [UNAOC]. These crises will create
    a clash of civilizations, and we are opposed to this," said Erdogan.

    The prime minister touched on relations with Israel and Armenia
    in his speech. He said that Turkey will not restore relations with
    Israel until it apologizes for the Mavi Marmara raid and removes its
    blockade of Palestine.

    Turkish-Israeli relations became strained in 2010 after Israeli naval
    commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a ship carrying humanitarian aid
    to breach Israel's Gaza blockade, killing eight Turkish civilians
    and a US citizen.

    Concerning relations with Armenia, Erdogan said Turkey's policies
    towards the Nagorno-Karabakh issue will not change. "Armenians, Armenia
    and those who stand by them must know that Turkey's stance will not
    change until the rights of Azerbaijanis are fulfilled," said Erdogan.

    The escalating violence in Syria was another major topic in Erdogan's
    speech. "The Syrian regime is massacring its own people," said
    Erdogan, adding that 250,000 Syrians have so far fled the violence
    to neighboring countries, with approximately 90,000 taking refuge
    in Turkey. He also called on Russia, China and Iran to change their
    stance on the crisis in Syria. "History will not forgive those who
    took sides with oppressors," said Erdogan.

Working...
X