LOC14:28
11:28 GMT
ANKARA, May 9 (KUNA) -- Turkiye is ready to cooperate with EU to create a European scene that is more prosperous, of more solidarity, and more open for a better future, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.
This came in a speech delivered by the Turkish President as a congratulatory message on "Europe Day," said a statement by the Presidency's Communications Department.
Erdogan called on the European Union to manage its relations with his country in a fair manner and avoid policies that lead relations to a dead end.
"Turkiye will not stop using and developing its strategic capabilities in the face of exclusionary policies towards our country, which also negatively affect the European Union's transformation into a global power," he added.
On the other hand, Erdogan pointed out that the rise of anti-Islam and xenophobia across the continent is one of the biggest sources of concern for Turkish citizens and immigrants living in Europe.
He stated that discrimination and hate crimes against the Turkish community in Europe have become a normal matter day after day.
Europe Day is an occasion to commemorate the announcement by the late French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950 of the formation of the "European Coal and Steel Community," which formed the first nucleus of the European Union. (end)
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