H.E. President Abdullah Gül’s Message on the Occasion of Christmas Day

Below is H.E. President Abdullah Gül’s message on the occasion of Christmas Day

“I celebrate our Christian citizens and the Christian world’s Christmas day which they will be celebrating today.

Our citizens sharing the same joy and hopes are integrated parts of our republic and equal owners of it regardless of their ethnicities and beliefs.

The very tolerance, fraternity and the spirit of mutual respect and solidarity that have all provided unity amongst our nation throughout history are the most important virtues of the modern Turkey today as well.

It is our particular responsibility to protect and improve these unique features of our nation that we have blended with such universal values as human rights, equality between men and women and the rule of law.

Turkey will continue to contribute to peace and stability throughout the world with the very strength it takes from Anatolia, the cradle of civilizations and beliefs, and will stand by every effort toward the establishment of dialogue between different cultures and beliefs as it has done in the past.

In this vein, I hereby celebrate our citizens belonging to every tradition of Christianity and the whole of the Christian world’s Christmas Day once again and wish them all every success and happiness.”