10/05/2010 President
Strasbourg, 10.05.2010 – “Culture is not a luxury, it is a compelling need,” said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mevlüt Çavusoglu, opening a hearing in Istanbul into “the right of everyone to take part in cultural life” organised by PACE’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education.
It was important to find practical ways to make culture accessible to the widest possible number of citizens, the President said, speaking in the city which currently holds the title of European Capital of Culture. “These are the issues which are crucial for the future of European societies,” he said.
Intercultural and inter-faith dialogue, in particular, should be given “top priority” in Europe’s political agendas, he added. The President announced that he will propose PACE hold a major debate on this topic next year, to which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the President of the Government of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero – as co-sponsors of the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations initiative – would be invited. Mr Çavusoglu also announced he will take part in the Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Rio at the end of May.