IMM President Ekrem İmamoğluspoke at the 'Mediterranean Cities Mayors Conference' held in Florence, Italy. Citing the 34th verse of Fussilet Surah of the Qur'an and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's saying 'War is a murder unless it is necessary for the existence of a nation' as a reference for ensuring world peace, İmamoğlu said, “It is as alarming as this. In these times, the primary need of our cities is peace and solidarity. The Mediterranean, as a basin of peace and freedom, can sign a strong union that will set an example for the whole world. He should throw it out,” he said.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğluspoke at the “Mediterranean Cities Mayors Conference” held in Florence, Italy. Speaking at the session that also included Florence Mayor Dario Nardella, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, İmamoğlu said, "I would like to start my speech by conveying the warmest feelings of 16 million Istanbulites." Defining world history as "the history of what man produces and destroys", İmamoğlu said:
“OUR PRINCIPLES AND BELIEF ARE THE THING THAT TAKES US AWAY FROM HORRIBLE”
“So the history of good and evil. The Mediterranean basin has a very special place in this history. Almost all of the great religions and belief systems that call humanity to discover the good in it and fight against evil have taken shape in this geography. Although it contains many bitter memories, the Mediterranean, the homeland of olives and figs, is a unique geography that invites people to all the beauties of life with its sea, sun and colorful cultures. The Mediterranean basin turns heads with its beauties and diversity. If a person becomes arrogant and starts to see himself as the owner of these beauties, he will open the door to evil. It is our principles and beliefs that will keep us away from arrogance and keep us on the right path.”
“IF WE LOSE OUR TRUST IN THE POWER OF GOODNESS, WE LOSE OUR HUMANITY”
In his speech, the Qur'an's Fussilet Surah says, “Good and evil are not the same. You repel evil with the best behavior; Then you will see that the person with whom you have enmity has become a warm friend”, quoting the 34th verse of Imamoglu, "Whatever religion we belong to, whatever belief system we discipline ourselves with, if we lose our trust in the power of goodness, we will lose our humanity. As local rulers, we all come from our own countries, from different belief systems, from different cultures. But we long for the same thing: to create a better world; creating freer and happier cities; To improve the quality of life of the people living in our cities”.
“ONLY WE CAN SUCCESS WITH JUSTICE”
"I consider myself very lucky to be among you as a representative of an ancient city like Istanbul that has been a bridge between civilizations and touched different beliefs and cultures," said İmamoğlu.
“As local leaders, we all have an important mission. Yes, what is required of us is to bring services to our cities that will make life easier, and to focus on issues such as transportation and digital transformation. But at the same time, what is required of us; to be against hatred, discrimination and violence; striving for a greener, fairer, more conscientious world. We can only achieve this with justice. In these days when Europe feels the nightmare and pain of war again, we should accept the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkey, 'war is a murder unless it is necessary for the existence of a nation' as a guide. Because in such alarming times, our cities' primary need is peace and solidarity. The Mediterranean, as a basin of peace and freedom, can sign a strong union that will set an example for the whole world. He should throw it.”
QUOTED FROM HACI BEKTAŞ
Anatolian sage Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli's words for the peace of humanity 750 years ago, “Whatever their language, religion, color; Expressing that he describes the formula of "good things are good", İmamoğlu said, "Today, it is for all of us to reconstruct the Mediterranean as a great 'civilization of civilizations' where peace, cooperation, democracy and dialogue, virtue and reconciliation, universal law and justice prevail. most important need. I believe the leading role in this fiction will be green, fair, creative, free and unique cities. The Mediterranean civilization took its main motifs and colors from its unique and ancient cities. It is the multicultural cities that make the Mediterranean the Mediterranean. More than anything else, the dialogue and solidarity of Mediterranean cities will determine the path this civilization will follow in the upcoming period. I wish to walk on this path with tolerance and courage, by trying to get to know and understand each other, without being influenced by any prejudices, and to establish lasting cooperations.
Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia and President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, was among the audience of the conference.
Be the first to comment