Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg in June 2006, cautioning that the world was drifting toward a dangerous religious and cultural divide. He called on nations to embrace multiculturalism, reject exclusionary attitudes toward immigrant communities, and work to integrate marginalized populations into mainstream society rather than allowing them to remain isolated in ghettos.
Erdoğan argued that freedom of expression carries responsibilities, particularly the obligation to respect the beliefs and sensitivities of others. Citing the controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, he said the episode demonstrated the need to establish clearer boundaries around expressive freedoms and to prevent extremists from exploiting religious tensions.
The prime minister called for an alliance of civilizations as the only viable alternative to continued conflict, urging countries to preserve their distinct identities while learning to coexist peacefully. He also argued that Islamophobia deserves to be treated as a crime against humanity on the same basis as anti-Semitism.
PACE President René van der Linden expressed the assembly's support for the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, a joint project launched by Türkiye and Spain. Following the session, Erdoğan met separately with Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.