UN official praises Turkey for addressing intolerance

MADRID-Anadolu Agency

A UN official on Aug. 7 praised Turkey for using multilateral cooperation to fight against all forms of intolerance and working for the intercultural “Alliance of Civilizations” initiative.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos, said he will visit Turkey to talk about the rise of populism and racism and what could be done to address these issues.

Moratinos will attend the 11th Ambassadors' Conference in Ankara that is being held through Aug. 9.

"Turkish foreign policy makes full use of multilateral cooperation, in addressing xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination," Moratinos stressed.

He said Turkey's work is aligned with the goals of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), which is working on four main areas, youth, education, media and migration.

"I have added a new pillar which is women as peace-mediators. I firmly believe that peace becomes sustainable, when women are part of the process," he said.

Moratinos emphasized that all conflicts should be resolved in a peaceful manner. He described Palestinian-Israeli conflict as "mother of all conflicts".

He said the UNAOC continues to expand institutionally, in terms of streamlining its work within the UN system.

"We need to increase the membership of the group of friends of the Alliance and to increase our human and financial resources. I am also working to make the Alliance more rooted in the UN system," Moratinos added.