Türkiye to oppose any political attempt to create religious divisions, says communications director

Published October 09,2023

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Türkiye will at all times oppose any political try to create non secular divisions, the nation’s communications director stated on Monday.

“Today, the world needs tolerance and mutual understanding more than ever. Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye will always oppose any political effort to pit religions against one another,” Fahrettin Altun stated on X.

Reminding that the first-ever church inbuilt Türkiye because the republic’s institution in 1923 opened its doorways to worshippers in Istanbul on Sunday, Altun stated: “This event marked the inauguration of the first newly built church in the Turkish Republic’s history.”

The church was constructed as a five-story construction in an empty part of a Latin Catholic Cemetery in Yeşilköy.

“President Erdoğan has always advocated for religious freedoms for all our citizens regardless of their denomination. He has worked to ensure that legal and administrative hurdles before renovation and restoration efforts of churches are removed,” he stated.

Altun stated successive AK Party governments ensured the return of beforehand confiscated properties to their lawful homeowners, whereas non secular minorities in Türkiye have been in a position to reconstruct and restore their locations of worship prior to now 20 years.

“All of these efforts have been accomplished according to our deep belief in the religious rights and freedoms of all our citizens. They are also a sign of our commitment to religious tolerance and mutual respect,” he added.