XENOPHOBIA IS EUROPE'S BIGGEST PROBLEM, CLAIMS TURKISH PM

Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu (Photo : Memo)

Ankara, 16 Rajab 1436/5 May 2015 (MINA) – The Turkish prime minister said on Sunday that xenophobia and exclusion on the basis of sectarian, religious and ethnic differences are the biggest threat facing Europe today. Ahmet Davutoğlu made his comments at the opening of a new building at the Turkish Consulate General in Dusseldorf.

“The basic value that we should sustain strongly for the future of our continent is to protect human dignity and ensure a cultural environment in which everyone can practice his or her religion, faith and beliefs freely,” he added, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The prime minister expressed concern about the attacks against mosques carried out Islamophobic groups which have appeared across Europe in recent months.

Asked about historic German-Turkish economic relations, Davutoğlu said that the presence of Turkish citizens in Germany made it top of the countries that are a priority for Turkey.

He described the relationship between the two states as an example for the rest of the world to follow, noting that the Turkish community enriches Germany and the rest of Europe at the social and cultural levels. “Bilateral relations will develop strongly,” he insisted. (T/P002/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)