TURKEY TO REPORT ON ISLAMOPHOBIA, RACISM IN COUNTRIES

Tue 02 February 2021:

Turkey will report annually on acts of Islamophobia and racism in other countries, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.

Speaking at the AK Party’s 7th Congress in Antalya province, Cavusoglu said that until today, the EU and US publish reports on Turkey and other countries, but from now on, Turkey will also produce its own reports “for the good of humanity.”

He said Turkey no longer played the game by others’ rules in matters that concern itself.

“Diplomacy is always our priority, but we also teach those who do not believe in diplomacy to come back to the table,” he said.

Regarding maritime disputes over the Eastern Mediterranean, he said Turkey favors “equitable sharing,” but the Greek side has disclaimed this approach despite Turkey staking its claims in the Mediterranean.

“Everyone has learned the ways of cooperation with Turkey,” he said.

Cavusoglu reminded that positive messages were given about the EU in December and that a roadmap was worked on to develop relations in a positive atmosphere.

Turkish presidential board discusses Islamophobia

Last week Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired a meeting of the Presidential High Advisory Board.

Following the two-and-half hour meeting, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said in a statement that the board members discussed the issues of xenophobia and Islamophobia, which are on the rise in Western societies, and the situation the Islamic world is in.

In the meeting, President Erdogan said the racist, discriminatory and barbaric face of the West began to reveal itself with the dropping of the mask of democracy, freedom and human rights it has been hiding behind for a long time, the statement said.

It noted that in the meeting, Erdogan said the practices of massacres, cruelty, oppression, occupation and fanaticism against Muslims are being observed in different geographies from Myanmar to East Turkistan and from the Balkans and the Caucasus to Palestine, adding the most grave and hurtful scenes are being witnessed in the Islamic geography.