13/04/2011 Session
61 years after Turkey ratified the statute of the Council of Europe, the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his address to the Assembly, paid tribute to the organisation’s work against all forms of discrimination and in pursuit of respect for human dignity.
Recalling the historical meeting of the Christian and Muslim worlds, Erdoğan indicated that a future based on peace could only be built on an understanding of history as cultural interaction and convergence, rather than as war, conflict and polarisation. He regretted the rise of racism, discrimination and intolerance in Europe and said that the universal values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law were as important as ever – even beyond Europe’s borders in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Prime Minister described Turkey’s role and aims in the region, Turkey’s importance for Europe, and the reforms that Turkey has undertaken at home. Prime Minister Erdoğan concluded by inviting the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to send his personal envoy to Turkey to look into the media situation there.