Erdogan Hails al-Rahi’s Efforts to Preserve Stability in Lebanon
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the efforts exerted by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to Turkey to maintain stability in Lebanon, stressing that Turkey hasn’t witnessed a visit like this since the Ottoman empire.
Erdogan stressed on the importance of the visit of al-Rahi, saying “it comes at a time everyone needs to go back to dialogue and reconciliation.”
“This historical visit helps in reactivating the dialogue and communication between the religions and the people,” the Turkish PM said.
For his part, al-Rahi thanked the Turkish government for the official invitation to visit Turkey.
He noted that Turkey “participated in raising the slogan of dialogue between religions.”
Al-Rahi said that he is looking forward for more cooperation concerning the convergence of civilizations and religions.
"We welcome calls for the separation of religion from the state," he said.
Al-Rahi later said during a press conference at the end of his visit that the Turkish authorities are keen to safeguard the Christians in the region.
“We bless the peoples’ will in choosing any authority they want… We want authorities to be able to spread democracy, public freedom and maintain the human dignity,” he noted.
Asked about “Friends of Syria” conference that will be held in Istanbul on Sunday, he said: “We bless all efforts seeking to end violence, war and reaching a peaceful solution that achieves the people’s expectations.”
“We want the Syrian authorities to establish a regime that respects democracy, diversity, and the needs of the people,” al-Rahi stated.
The patriarch headed to Turkey on an official visit.
He held meetings with high-ranking Turkish officials, among them FM Ahmet Davutoglu.
01 April 2012, 02:25
00
Hey Erodogan....get out of Cyprus, give the Kurds human rights and autonomy, and acknowledge the Armenian, Antiochian Christian, and Greek genocide. Oh and stop drilling for gas in the Med where you have no right.
01 April 2012, 07:09
10
....." this is why the patriarch is the patriarch and you're failing to see the extent of the patriarch's diplomatic work....... diplomatic work you said? It is NOT his job to do diplomatic work....his job is to pray and show the right path! Al Rahi has an ego problem so do you!
01 April 2012, 13:26
01
Lies and more lies of Turkish leadership, if they really support democracy, get out of Cyprus and aknowledge the Armenian genocide
01 April 2012, 16:55
11
Turkey is worried that the christians might get powerfull again.
More to the point, they see Patriarch Al-Rahi as responsible in a big way for the maintenence (non collapse) of the Syrian Assad government - and that is why they want to talk to him.
01 April 2012, 19:45
10
our respectiful sayyedna albatrak ,each day you have a different political announcment like the weather .it depends with whom you are standing with .you declare what please your companion. better to pray each day for peace and ask GOD to stop the killing.
01 April 2012, 20:11
00
I have to add Turkey to my list of European countries that think they have the right to rule the world. Turkey tells Lebanon, "Please do not let the people have free elections, because that would destabilize the region. It is vital that the one quarter of Lebanese who are supposedly Christian maintain their parliamentary parity with the three quarters who are supposedly Muslim. This is what we in Turkey call a rational and fair approach to a difficult problem."
Let's speculate what would happen to Turkey if democracy broke out in Lebanon. Israel would be surrounded by democratic states! And the US and EU would punish Turkey for not keeping Lebanon in the totalitarian fold.
02 April 2012, 10:22
00
waw Hassan I am impressed! really so you are against the muslim brotherhood reign M14 is backing up? Man again u impressed me Bravo
