Gul: Turkey is a Country of Tolerance for Religions
By Cihan News Agency, Anadolu News Agency (aa), Taormina, Trabzon
Published: Saturday, February 11, 2006
zaman.com
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul shared his assessment with Italian daily, La Repubblica, about the murder of Andrea Santaro, the priest of Sancta Maria Catholic Church in northern Turkish city of Trabzon.
Gul reporting nobody approved Santaro's murder of last week in Turkey cited; "I think the murder is an individual case condemned by everyone in Turkey. We, Turks, were shocked by the event. Catholics are of course a part of our country. They have lived with us for centuries."
The security measures were tightened after the incident Gul said. "We allotted guards for bishops and priests and increased the security precautions in the sanctuaries. But such fanatical individuals exist in every part of the world."
Various religions have lived in peace for centuries in Turkey, he continued. "Catholics have lived with us for several years in Turkey. The latest event unfortunately shadowed this fact. It is a country of tolerance and coexistence. And the people condemn the case. I would like to offer my condolences to the priest's family, Italian citizens, and the Vatican. I assume the murder is an individual case. The police arrested the attacker in a very short time and continue the inquiry about the murder."
In response to the question, "Do you think the ones willing to escalate chaos in Turkey make provocations?" Turkish foreign minister replied: "Even if it is just a marginal part in Turkey, there are ones opposing the European Union (EU) membership. Those try their best to capture the country and stop the EU process by abusing the young. However, we will strive to prevent those activities as we promised a month ago."
By Cihan News Agency, Anadolu News Agency (aa), Taormina, Trabzon
Published: Saturday, February 11, 2006
zaman.com
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul shared his assessment with Italian daily, La Repubblica, about the murder of Andrea Santaro, the priest of Sancta Maria Catholic Church in northern Turkish city of Trabzon.
Gul reporting nobody approved Santaro's murder of last week in Turkey cited; "I think the murder is an individual case condemned by everyone in Turkey. We, Turks, were shocked by the event. Catholics are of course a part of our country. They have lived with us for centuries."
The security measures were tightened after the incident Gul said. "We allotted guards for bishops and priests and increased the security precautions in the sanctuaries. But such fanatical individuals exist in every part of the world."
Various religions have lived in peace for centuries in Turkey, he continued. "Catholics have lived with us for several years in Turkey. The latest event unfortunately shadowed this fact. It is a country of tolerance and coexistence. And the people condemn the case. I would like to offer my condolences to the priest's family, Italian citizens, and the Vatican. I assume the murder is an individual case. The police arrested the attacker in a very short time and continue the inquiry about the murder."
In response to the question, "Do you think the ones willing to escalate chaos in Turkey make provocations?" Turkish foreign minister replied: "Even if it is just a marginal part in Turkey, there are ones opposing the European Union (EU) membership. Those try their best to capture the country and stop the EU process by abusing the young. However, we will strive to prevent those activities as we promised a month ago."