FOR 800 YEARS ISTANBUL HAS BEEN THE CENTER OF PEACE THROUGH RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY

Participating in the event of the German Foundation for Integration, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said: “What makes Istanbul such a worldwide metropolitan and a very strong city is that the mosques, churches and synagogues have given the mankind peace together in the streets of this city for 800 years”. 

The meeting was held in Hilton Istanbul Hotel with the participation of Prof. Maira Böhmer, the Minister of State for the Federal Government of Germany, as well. Egemen Bagis started his speech, addressing Mrs. Böhmer and saying “Welcome to our country, our city and my polling district” and continued as follows:

“I would like to thank you very much for your nice words about our Istanbul at the beginning of your speech. When I asked you what you thought about my city, you answered by asking me whether or not I wanted to change it and said that you had a very developed polling district in chemical sector and we could change the cities if I wished. Then, I said to you that I could do everything for friends but never give up Istanbul. Now that we are with the German Minister for Integration, I would like to mention two messages of Istanbul on integration. One of these messages is for Germany and the other for the European Union as a whole. What makes Istanbul such a worldwide metropolitan and a very strong city is that the mosques, churches and synagogues have given the mankind peace together in the streets of this city for 800 years. I mean that the there is real integration here”.

Our host said: “I am against assimilation but always in favor of integration. Turkey also gives great importance to this issue. This city has always lost whenever it has tried assimilation. However, it has always made progress and improved with the spirit of integration. Istanbul is the most Asian city of Europe and the most European one of Asia. It has always weakened when forced to choose one of them. I am concerned that we would lose if the Turkish people were forced to choose to be a Turk or a German. In fact, they may a German and a Turkish citizen, a tax payer or a lover of this country at the same time. I think this is a very important message of Istanbul in terms of harmonization. It has a message for the European Union, too. This city was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, which formed the cultural values of Europe and also the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul became the European capital of culture and sports. I believe that the European Union would be very poor without Istanbul. To tell this truth to all parts of Europe, we would like to see the support of Germany, the European country which we feel the closest to us."