Opening Remarks by Ismail Cem, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Istanbul, February 12, 2002

Mr. President, Ministers, Colleagues, friends,

We are gathered in Istanbul to initiate the first major encounter of the 21st Century. It is one of an unusual character; the first of its kind, a conference of two representative political organizations of global scope, of different civilization dimensions of multiple cultures.

I want to begin by welcoming and thanking you all for being with us in Turkey, at the Joint Forum of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and of the European Union (EU), "Civilisation and Harmony: The Political Dimension". I want to thank the leadership of both organizations and my fellow foreign ministers for their valuable support.

It is not a coincidence that we are holding this conference at this particular juncture. In fact it is a concrete need that we all observed; a danger that we all sensed which made this encounter an imperative and this huge attendance a reality. It is for this same reason that I had shared my initial views with colleagues and formulated my proposal to convene such a meeting. This was met with an overall encouragement and enthusiasm.

In fact, the tragedy of 11 September, besides the deep sorrow that it generated, has shown how vulnerable the basic understanding among different cultures and civilizations is, and how easy it is for deep-rooted prejudices to surface. One of the first temptations that developed after 11 September was to identify terrorism on cultural and religious lines, pitting one part of humanity against the other. Deeper and wider fault-lines of global nature were thus encouraged.

The second result, this time positive, of 11th of September was an emerging consciousness: A mutual realization of our inadequate knowledge about each other; of the need for forging new relationships, of attaining solidarity through the respect for cultural diversity. Through our mutual efforts, it is now better understood that terrorism does not have a religion, does not have a geography, it can not be defined on cultural lines and can not have any justification.

Distinguished Participants,

Are civilizations, cultures, nations headed for an inevitable clash, a predestined doom? Or, does humanity have the wisdom and courage to move towards a spirit of working and living together? I believe we have the opportunity to take the positive course.

In both ancient and modern times, history teaches us that the way we address the issue of 'the Other' determines the dynamics of stability and peace. We have witnessed that trends to ignore or to snub the other, to dominate politically, economically or culturally the other, can only result in confrontation and hostility. We have witnessed as well that harmony, knowledge and welfare are nurtured when different nations communicate with each other, when they feel respect for other's culture. Political understanding and dialogue provide the platform which generates this web of relationships.

In fact, by knowing others better, the definition of 'the Other' would acquire new references. Whereas in the past, confrontational lines were drawn between military pacts, political ideologies, geographic entities, we actually witness the containment of this concrete framework. Unfortunate cases still prevail, they are as dangerous as ever, but the trend seems to be moving towards a 'conceptual definition', one based on 'values': 'The Other', now defined as being the one who infringes upon values by resorting to force, to terrorism, to occupation, to injustice, and to the negation of universal human rights.

Colleagues, guests, friends,

Turkey hosts this Forum with the understanding that she has a particular responsibility and mission. We are attached to both the OIC and the EU; we are a country which is both European and Asian, we are a culture which has both Eastern and Western dimensions.

As the host country, we believe that the political dimension in the dialogue between cultures, civilizations and geographies needs to be further promoted. The two political organizations, EU and OIC, have a joint responsibility to contribute to the quest for a better understanding.

Your overwhelming presence here in Istanbul already and by itself gives a message of hope, one of understanding, of cooperation and of peace.

The OIC-EU Forum could display a strong belief that cultures, in their diversity, compliment and enhance each other. That we are all committed to the harmony of civilizations and to its attainability.

And, finally, I want to extend our thanks to all countries who have supported our initiative and contributed to this forum. I would as well thank personally all of you colleagues, each and everyone, for your friendship.