28th Abant Meeting “Diverse Perspectives on Turkey” to be held in February 2013
Date posted: December 29, 2012
Turkey’s foremost civil intellectual forum, Abant Platform‘s workshop on “Diverse Perspectives on Turkey,” will be held in February 8-10, 2013 in Abant, Bolu.
The Abant Platform is founded as an intellectual forum by the Journalists and Writers Foundation to promote democratic engagement for expanding social consensus and the coexistence of society’s rich cultural resources within a peaceful environment in Turkey.
Within the Abant Platform’s upcoming meeting, nearly 120 intellectuals, journalists and academics from a variety of countries and diverse backgrounds who are currently residing in Turkey will meet their Turkish counterparts and have free discussion on the following topics in 5 separate workshops:
– Identities, Demands and New Citizenship
– Turkey’s Regional Role and Foreign Policy
– EU Negotiation Process and Current Situation
– Problems and Difficulties for the New Constitution
In a BBC interview aired in late February, Fethullah Gülen once again spelled out the most important challenges for Turkey: establishing unity among diverse groups that include Alevis, Kurds and others; boosting educational opportunities for the young population; and tackling the long-running poverty problem in Turkey.
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Gülen recognizes democracy as the only viable political system of governance. He denounces turning religion into a political ideology, while encouraging all citizens to take an informed and responsible part in political life of their country. He stresses the flexibilities in the Islamic principles relating to governance and their compatibility with a true democracy.
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