ISTANBUL - Romanian President Ion Iliescu was awarded on Friday with honorary doctorate by Galatasaray University Law Faculty.
Delivering a speech at the ceremony, Iliescu said that he thanked to the university and stated that he thought that he was awarded with the honorary doctorate due to his efforts to solve environment problems and other problems.
Iliescu said that his visit to Turkey was of great importance for both countries and stated that 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries was celebrated this year.
Stating that he, as a friend of Turkey, condemned harshly barbarism which caused bloodshed in Istanbul, Iliescu said that terrorism was an unethical action which could not be accepted. Iliescu said that Romania supported the answer of Turkey against this serious threat against peace and stalibity of Turkey and neighbour countries and the Black Sea.
Iliescu said that a misunderstanding and rejection lied on the basis of those actions and stated that those people did not understand that democracy, citizenship rights, freedoms were tolerance the best solution for problems of humanity.
Stating that reasons of wars in the future would be related to insufficient sources rather than ideological or identity problems, Iliescu said that it would endanger stability and peace.
President Iliescu stressed that countries should attribute more importance to education to this end.
''Globalizing world is a world in which relations among civilizations should be maintained naturally without disputes,'' he said.
Noting that the EU had constituted a model in which the diversity stemming from globalizing world was respected with all its dimensions, President Iliescu added, ''our countries, which are aware of the fact that the EU represented the best response to problems stemming from increasing complexity of the world, want to become full members of the EU. We hope that Romania would join the EU in 2007. As a friendly country, we will ayways support Turkey's membership. We consider Turkey a European country with its multicultural characteristics. Its inclusion in the EU is necessary and legitimate.''
(EÖ-UK 05.12.2003