Turkish foreign minister urges int'l community to take stance against racism, Islamophobia

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned the international community about rising hatred in the world, according to Turkish diplomatic sources on Friday.

Fidan attended the ministerial meeting of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Group of Friends on the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

During his address, the minister drew attention to the increasing intolerance, xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia in the world and emphasized that the international community should take a common stance to prevent these tendencies, the sources said.

Fidan also touched upon the steps taken internationally, including the decisions adopted by the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the fight against Islamophobia, as well as the appointment of Türkiye's Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General's Special Envoy on Islamophobia.

The minister also highlighted Türkiye's active roles regarding fight against Islamophobia, the sources added.

The UNAOC was founded in 2005 as a political initiative of then-UN chief Kofi Annan co-sponsored by Türkiye and Spain.

The Group of Friends meets on a regular basis to discuss UNAOC’s current programs, new initiatives and other activities.

It currently includes 160 members of which are 130 UN member states, one non-member state, and 29 international organizations.