STRASBOURG - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that the world is going towards a dangerous polarization.
Making a keynote speech in the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, Erdogan underlined the expression ``unity in diversity``.
``This expression is present in our culture for centuries. We need a multi-cultural ideal, also supported by you, in order to preserve and contribute to peace in Europe and the world,`` he stressed.
Erdogan noted, ``it is important to see that Europe`s immigration problem is not an Islamic problem. In fact, the communities, considered as `the other`, are excluded. And this is the actual problem. It is not possible to solve this problem by hatred and discrimination. The countries need to show more affection to the people living in ghettos and integrate them into their own society.``
-PEOPLE`S SHOULD NO MORE BE EXCLUDED-
``In this context, peoples should end their approaches to exclude aliens from their societies, get rid of their prejudices, become more tolerant, and give a helping hand to the weak. Also, we should see the world as our common house,`` Erdogan emphasized.
-FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION & THOUGHT-
Enumerating freedom of expression and thought among indispensable common goals of humanity, Erdogan said, ``all freedoms have a limit under the international laws on human rights. You cannot have unlimited freedoms``.
Referring to the cartoon crisis, Erdogan said, ``what I want to say is that enjoying freedoms and respecting the rights and sensitivities of others, particularly other religions, do not contradict each other. On the contrary, they will make us freer if we apply them in full harmony.``
``The recent cartoon crisis has revealed the need to mark out the limits of freedom of expression and prevent extremists from exploiting a growing polarization along religious lines,`` he said.
-ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS-
``If the world is determined to ensure global peace, it has to ensure the alliance of civilizations. Otherwise we should continue to witness the clash of civilizations,`` Erdogan stated.
According to Erdogan, countries should try to find ways and means to co-exist in peace, while preserving their cultural differences and identities.
``In this regard, we should start understanding each other, respect each other`s sensitivities, try not to violate each other`s rights when we are using our own rights and freedoms, avoid behaviors which may cause lack of confidence and clashes, and avoid behaviors and expressions like `they` and `the others`. We should never use freedom of expression as a freedom of insult,`` Erdogan said.
``I believe that we will not be left alone in our Alliance of Civilizations Initiative, and that the international community, particularly the Council of Europe and member states, will gather around this goal,`` he added.
-DEMOCRACY IS THE REGIME OF FREEDOMS-
Erdogan pointed out that democracy is a regime of compromise and tolerance, as well as a regime of freedoms.
Erdogan said, ``we have seen throughout the history that violence and freedom cannot co-exist. Therefore, we have to improve a culture of freedom in which there is no violence.``
``How can we ensure our ideal to co-exist in a world in which we see insult to our values like anti-Semitism and Islamophobia as the freedom of others,`` Erdogan asked.
``The way we see Anti-Semitism as a crime against humanity, we need to see Islamophobia as a crime against humanity``, he said.
-LINDEN-
On the other hand, Rene van der Linden, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said that PACE extends full support to the Alliance of Civilizations Initiative launched by Turkey and Spain.
In the session, Linden indicated that the aim of this initiative is to help people understand each other`s cultures, and avoid fanaticism and extremism.
-ERDOGAN-HAMMARBERG MEETING-
After the session, Erdogan met COE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammerberg.