ANKARA - ''Freedom of belief and worship is the most important guarantee of social peace,'' Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said on Monday.
Addressing the opening of 3rd meeting of the Religion Council, Sezer underlined that secularism in Turkey was enforced not with the reports prepared by some foreign elements, but with the experiences obtained in historical and social evolution of Turkey and within the perspective of reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Founder of Modern Turkish Republic.
Sezer said both the religions and thought systems aim to provide tranquility, happiness and well-being of peoples. President Sezer said Islam and other religions advised humanity to keep away from evil and favor peace and brotherhood.
''Despite the goals of religions to create this climate, it is unfortunate that humanity is still very far away from this point,'' Sezer said, stressing that wars and clashes still continued in many countries, many people suffered and many others had to pursue their lives under the threat of hunger and poverty.
''Wars, massacres, and violence should be replaced with brotherhood, tolerance and compromise to reach the ideal of universal peace in the world,'' Sezer pointed out, noting that, ''dialogue among the religions should be maintained to reach this goal.''
Sezer said Turkey has a special position in this respect, stressing that territories of Anatolia, throughout the history, embraced people having different cultural and religious beliefs.
(AY-ULG) 20.09.2004