ID :
204219
Mon, 08/29/2011 - 14:36
Auther :

PM Erdogan attends fast-breaking dinner hosted by community foundations


ISTANBUL (A.A) - August 29, 2011 - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that "gone are the periods in Turkey when certain citizens faced pressure due to their ethnic roots, dresses and different life styles".
Erdogan attended a fast-breaking dinner hosted by the community foundations in Istanbul on Sunday.
Speaking at the dinner, Erdogan said that he was highly happy to be at the fast-breaking dinner with the representatives of community foundations.
I sincerely thank our brothers and sisters of different faiths for hosting tonight's fast-breaking dinner, Erdogan said.
No citizen of our country is superior to any other in the Constitution or laws. All 74 million citizens in this country of ours are first class citizens, Erdogan said.
Mosques, churches and synagogues have lived here side by side for centuries. As a nation and country, we have an unique experience in this regard. With God's will, we will always be together in peace and tranquility, Erdogan said.
Another speaker at the fast-breaking dinner, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said that the Turkish government believed that it was strong with all communities.
We do not want to see any one of you sad or deprived of rights, Arinc said.
Mistakes done in the past remain in the past. We now have a new Turkey. There is a place for all of us in this new Turkey, Arinc said.
Also speaking at the dinner, the representative of the community foundations, Lika Vingas, said that the "non-Muslim minorities in Turkey felt strong during the term of the Justice and Development (AK) Party".
Our foundations are excited to be getting out of the past's pressures, Vingas also said.

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