President Erdoğan meets with representatives of religious minorities

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with representatives of religious minorities in Türkiye during an iftar dinner at the Presidential Complex.

Addressing the guests at the iftar dinner, which President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia attended as well, President Erdoğan voiced his pleasure over hosting President Mohamud of Somalia in Türkiye and sharing iftar with representatives of religious minorities in Türkiye, and said: “We as Türkiye have the experience to allow different faiths, cultures and identities to live together in peace for centuries. Adhan, hazan and sounds of bells have co-existed in our many cities, from Istanbul to Mardin and Hatay, for hundreds of years. Mosques, churches and synagogues have shared the same streets, same avenues, same cities. Muslims, Christians and Jews have lived side by side in the same country, under the same sky.”

“HATE SPEECH, RACISM AND FANATICISM ARE ON THE RISE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD”

Stating that they attach great value to this unique experience, which is the legacy of hundreds of years, President Erdoğan noted: “We need more than ever to preserve and strengthen this feature of ours in a period when hate speech, racism and fanaticism are on the rise all across the world. We must hold on even firmer to our tradition, which sees differences as not a cause for conflicts or polarization, but a source of social richness. Therefore, I believe that our gathering, which we organize every year, is very valuable.”

“WE STAND BY THE SOMALI PEOPLE”

Further stressing that Türkiye attaches great importance to the peace, economic development and security of the Somali people, President Erdoğan added: “We hope that Somalia will protect the gains, which it has achieved with the support of our country, and strengthen its social peace and stability. As a country that has suffered a lot from terror in all its forms and paid a price for it, stand by the Somali people.”