Turkish Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç addressed the Conference of Speakers of EU Parliaments in Copenhagen on Friday, urging European leaders to draw lessons from the 2006 Danish cartoon controversy and build genuine dialogue that respects the cultural sensitivities of different peoples.
Arınç expressed support for ongoing debates about Europe's future, calling them a valuable step toward shaping the EU's global role in the 21st century. He also noted that EU enlargement had strengthened the bloc economically, citing the creation of a single market of 450 million people following the accession of 10 new member states.
The speaker invited fellow parliamentary heads to establish a Platform for Dialogue among European Civilizations, linking the proposal to an Alliance of Civilizations meeting scheduled for Istanbul in November, co-chaired by Prime Ministers Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye and José Luis Zapatero of Spain.
On terrorism, Arınç stressed that all countries must cooperate and called for a shared definition of terrorism to prevent misunderstandings among nations.
On the sidelines, Arınç attended a luncheon hosted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and held a brief meeting with Italian Senate Speaker Franco Morini.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.