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| Turkish and Arab Politicians Meet for Liberal Dialogue Forum in Istanbul | ||
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The conference started with a keynote speech by Yasar Yakis, who is a member of the Turkish Parliament and, importantly, a former foreign minister who has served as Turkish ambassador in the Arab world and is considered an architect of the present government’s foreign policy. Not surprisingly, the focus of his talk was international affairs. However, Yakis’ remarks regarding the relationship of religion and the state aroused most attention and debate: "We have proven that democracy and our (Muslim) religion can go hand in hand. This has been achieved thanks to secularism", said the Turkish politician who added that "Turkey is not an Islamic but a secular country".
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Presenters from the Arab world and Turkey then dealt with such issues as democratization and the role of religion, economic reforms and foreign policy challenges in the region. At the center of many discussions stood the question whether Turkey could serve as role model for the Arab world or not: "Turkey’s experience cannot be transferred to the Arab world, because the conditions are very different there", said Dr. Hala Mustafa, Editor in Chief of the Democracy magazine and prominent Egyptian liberal intellectual. At the same time, said others, the fact that Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, embraces secularism sends a clear message to the Arabs: "The destiny of the region is to manage the relationship between religion and modernity", said Dr. Lahcan Haddad, senior member of the governing Mouvement Populaire party from Morocco. In this regard, Turkey is a benchmark, participants agreed.
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