ATHENS, Feb 17 (A.A) - Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Iliksoy said on Saturday, ''Turkey, a country that suffered much from terrorism, is one of the countries well-understanding necessity of international fight against terrorism.''
Speaking at the third meeting of European-Mediterranean Parliament Speakers started in Greek capital Athens, Iliksoy said, ''the whole world understood importance of fight against terrorism in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York, the United States, on September 11, 2001.''
''We suffered much from terrorism. We lost nearly 30 thousand people. Heavy cost of our fight against terrorism underlies today's economic difficulties. We should make an international definition of terrorism. Terrorism cannot be defined according to the regions. We should agree on a single definition. Global solidarity is the only way to fight against global terrorism,'' he stressed.
Iliksoy emphasized, ''Turkey had to make some restrictions in its liberalist constitution because of acts of violence and terrorism. Today, we have been trying to amend our Constitution. Terrorism destroys the right to live, the most important right.''
Noting that the Mediterranean Basin was the cradle of great civilizations and three monotheist faiths, Iliksoy said that all religious beliefs were based on tolerance and understanding.
Stressing that it was a serious mistake to connect the Islam with the terrorism, Iliksoy said, ''these two words should not be used together. Such allegations and approaches will lead us only to misunderstandings.''
Noting that representative of Greek Cypriot side used the expression of occupation of Cyprus in his speech, Iliksoy said, ''it will be benefical to refrain from using such expressions. Face-to-face talks process has been continuing on the island. And it is clear that such attitudes would affect the process negatively.''
Referring to the Middle East crisis, Iliksoy stressed that the crisis should be resolved urgently.
The meeting will end on Sunday after the final statement is released.