Erdogan: We Regret To See Negative Attitudes Against Turkish And Muslim People In Some European Countries Recently

OSLO - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, ''we regret to see negative attitudes against Turkish and Muslim people in some European countries recently. It is impossible to understand such attitudes against Turks and Muslims in a period when the world focuses on dialogue among different civilizations and cultures.''
Prime Minister Erdogan, who is currently paying a state visit to Norway, met Turkish citizens at the Oslo Military Museum Meeting Hall.
Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''we saw similar attitudes before December 17th. However, we overcame them. The EU is not a Christian club. It is the outcome of compromise among civilizations. The EU is a whole of political values.''
Upon a question about the allegations of so-called Armenian genocide, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''our parliament will hold a special session on April 13th to debate the Armenian issue. A statement will be signed by 550 MPs at the end of the session. It will be sent to parliaments of several countries including Britain.''
''We have been advocating since the very beginning that a peaceful world cannot be established on hatred and enmity. We have opened our air corridor with Armenia. Unfortunately, our western allies take some decisions about Turkey on ground of baseless comments of marginal groups. It is seriously unfair. For instance, students held demonstrations in France and in the other European countries. Police used force to disperse demonstrators and beat some of them. None of these events in Europe are mentioned and criticized. However, they criticize any similar event in Turkey. In fact, we never allow any attempt in support of terrorist organizations. Also, we never admit such support as human rights since we have suffered much from terrorism. Our first priority is the safety of our people.''
Replying to a question about the Cyprus question, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has been exposed to international isolation for years. Any country, except for Turkey, does not recognize the TRNC. Our government has been expending great efforts to find a fair and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue. 65 percent of Turkish Cypriot people supported the plan of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in the referendum on April 24th, 2004. They displayed their will for a solution.''
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(UK-MS)