Thursday, 24 September 2009The Turkish foreign minister said on Wednesday that Balkan states should join their forces.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu participated in a Balkan leaders meeting in the United States, and suggested that Balkan states should join their forces.
The Federation of Balkan American Associations (FEBA) and Rutgers University organized the 2009 Annual Balkan Leaders Reception. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), also participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, Davutoglu said the Balkans had a common history, destiny and future, and defined the region as a cultural heritage. "Therefore, Balkanization should be perceived in a positive way and as the richness and harmony of cultural and ethnic differences, not in a negative way as 'division and separation'," he said.
Davutoglu said the agonies in the Balkan history could not be forgotten, but nobody could live with those agonies forever either. The Turkish foreign minister said Balkan states should look at the future and cooperate, and underlined importance of regional integration and cooperation.
"The Balkans are the center of Europe, not the periphery of Europe, and therefore Balkan states should have confidence in themselves and join with a new spirit," he said.
Davutoglu said that the Balkan history was not only a history comprised of ethnic clashes and tension, but a strong history comprised of units, cities and civilizations, and therefore it is a big gain to re-discover the Balkans.
Through the Annual Balkan Leaders Reception, the Federation of Balkan American Associations hoped to achieve its mission of sharing the Balkan's heritage of tolerance and understanding with the world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, foreign affairs ministers, as well as business and religious leaders, journalists, artists, scholars, and professionals covering a spectrum of fields. The Annual Reception aspired to contribute to creating common goals and ideals toward sustainable peace and prosperity as well as harmonious inter-ethnic relations.
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Thursday, 24 September 2009
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