Turkey celebrates the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue

On 26th March, the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey hosted a special event with performances of mevlevi dervishes and ballet dancers at the historic Ankara Palace to celebrate the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The event was jointly opened by H.E. Mr. Mitja Strukelj, the Ambassador of Slovenia, the EU Member State currently holding the EU Presidency and H.E. Mr. Ertuğrul Günay, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism.

“We want to go beyond multicultural societies, where cultures and cultural groups simply coexist side by side, where they live ‘parallel lives’. We want to become intercultural societies where plurality of cultures cooperates in dialogue and shared responsibility,” said the Slovenian Ambassador in his speech.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mr. Günay underlined the importance of living together in harmony without creating the ‘other’. The Minister said that this had special significance in a country like Turkey which had brought up many diverse cultures and civilisations.

The European Commission’s decision to celebrate 2008 as the ‘‘European Year of Intercultural Dialogue” is reflected through various activities in the 2008 Information and Communication Programme of the EC Delegation in Turkey. Within the larger framework of the Civil Society Dialogue, the Delegation has launched a range of activities where “Intercultural Dialogue” has been used as the main theme.

For more information the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue please visit: www.avrupa.info.tr/EYID.html

For the official web site of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue please visit: http://www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu