10 October 2009, Istanbul ,Turkey

10 OCTOBER 2009, İSTANBUL ,TURKEY Variety in Unity ... FOREWORD Having assumed the universal mission of acting as the voice of all senior citizens regardless of their re- ligion, language, race or gender, Turyak Seniors Council Association is determined to hold an international congress annually, one which each year will bring up one of the important common problems on the world’s agenda. These congresses will be held in İstanbul and invite from all countries of the world senior citizens who are distinguished for their wisdom, to deliver papers on the congress topic, choosing them as authorities in that field. Pertinent international organizations will also be invited to these congresses, reports of which will be submitted to all political leaders in the world. Our first congress, on the subject of bridging the cultural gap, is being attended by thirty-nine highly distinguished participants from thirty-four countries, and this plus the fact of His Excellency. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s keen interest and attendance as guest of honor suffice to provide us with great encourage- ment for the future. We would like to extend our thanks to him on behalf of our board of directors as well as all our senior citizens and participants. That such an extremely sensitive and vital topic as bridging the cultural gap has been taken up by such an eminent delgation of distinguished senior citizens in all their wisdom marks a groundbreaking event for the entire world, and as such is a source to us of excitement, pleasure and pride. With all our hearts we believe that the congress will make observations beneficial to humankind in general while offering proposals toward a solution. Future congresses, meanwhile, will bestow on İstanbul the title of “city where wise people come together for the sake of humankind.” – 2 – Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN Prime Minister of Turkish Republic INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON SENIOR CITIZENS “BRIDGING THE GAP IN BETWEEN” INTRODUCTION I see the International Congress on Senior Citizens, the consultation council of which also includes our AK Party Coordination Centre for the Elderly, as a great opportunity for establishing an inter-generational and inter-cultural meeting. As Turkey, I must express the immense pleasure we feel for hosting such a vital meeting and taking yet anot- her important step towards “Bridging the Gap in Between Cultures”. This glorious organization, which brings together hundreds of exemplary senior citizens from many countries all around the world, also provides a good opportunity to ensure international cooperation against cultural erosion. Through this organization, wise people coming from many different nations will share their life experiences gained on various different geog- raphies of the world, will address the phenomenon of old age with its universal dimensions, and will convey to their own countries and communities the call for intercultural unity rising from our country. As emphasized sagaciously in the introduction of the organization, elderly people are the “Senior Citizens” of all societies and all countries. They represent wisdom, common sense, patience, and sound logic and per- ception. We belong to a culture that has always held our elderly in high esteem, given them priority and treated them with reverence in all areas of life throughout all ages of the history. In these modern times, it is a reality that the social life is going through a rapid transformation and that in the meanwhile some humanistic traits are being neglected and that sometimes we see the erosion of the princi- pal values that make us who we are... We observe that in some families the contact between generations is becoming weaker and even reaching the point of breaking away. Yet we must maintain our identities without damaging our values and we must ensure our social development, because a society can only stay erect to – 3 – Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN Prime Minister of Turkish Republic the extent it can pass down its values, its culture, from generation to generation, like a chain of rings brought together side by side. The Justice and Development Party is a party that has placed the family institution to the heart of the society and politics, while following the line of conservative democracy. Family is the core of society. When the family starts disintegrating, losing its sacred status and its importance, it heralds the start of erosion and decline in a society. It will be an undisputable assurance for our future if families are the first to take care of their elders before the intervention of the state or its institutions, if family members can benefit from the knowledge and experience of the elderly and if new generations build a life style drawing on the life experiences of their elderly. Of course, a social state must, under all circumstances, provide care for and meet the needs of its senior citizens who have spent their long years in the service of their country. However, we regard it as extremely important that the elderly are, if possible, protected and cared for within their own families. As the Justice and Development Party, we are very pleased to be able to contribute to and support such a grand organization that fits our fundamental political philosophy. Such organizations contribute in developing the sensitivities which we must protect, and in increasing the resilience of our society at the point of preserving humanistic values. I extend my heartfelt thanks to those who have made possible such an important and fruitful meeting, and hope that it will yield successful outcomes in the name of our country and the whole humanity. – 4 – Mete BORA TÜRYAK Chairman MR. PRIME MINISTER, ESTEEMED GUESTS, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE PRESS, F irst i would like to welcome and extend respectful greetings to you all on behalf of the board of directors of the Türyak seniors council association, which aims to put the life of all senior citizens on the social agenda, wherever they may be in the world, and to make this agenda permanent. We are gathered in this magnificent congress center, which the municipality of İstanbul has been kind enough to provide, for the purpose, with your valuable contributions, of working toward the solution of one of the world’s most important issues, namely bridging the cultural gap. In your presence i would like to thank the Mayor of Greater İstanbul, Dr. Kadir Topbaş, as well as all the institutions and organizations which helped make this congress possible. With a known past dating back two thousand eight hundred years, this center of civilizations, istanbul, has been invaded perhaps more than any other city in the world. And each invasion has naturally meant some degree of cultural exhange. One must also not forget that during its 2800-year history İstanbul is the only city in the world to have served as capital to three great empires; the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Even dreaming of the cultural wealth created by the deep, buzzing history in İstanbul is enough to make one dizzy. And when you think of the most recent finds, which show that we are living above paleolithic, neolithic and bronze age settlements, it’s truly mind-boggling. On top of these historical riches, İstanbul has been the center for the three religions of the book at the same time – judaism, christianity and islam. Joining the continents of asia and europe by two beautiful bridges, İstanbul, according to the good news we have received from our prime minister, will soon be blessed with a third. These bridges not only link continents, more importantly they unite two separate spheres of culture and the hearts of the people who belong to them. Every day hundreds of thousands of İstanbulites cross these bridges in both directions, commuting from home to work or vice-versa. But the truth of the matter is that at least twice a day they make an inter- continental voyage. Yes, İstanbul really is a lovely city. Meanwhile i can’t help reminding you that in 82 days, that is, on january first, 2010, this glorious city of İstan- bul will become the cultural capital of europe, and i must add that we are gathered in the city which of all those in the world best suits the definitions of “culture” and “bridge” for a meeting the theme of which is “bridging the cultural gap.” – 5 – Mete BORA TÜRYAK Chairman Distinguished participants, guests and members of the press: The bridge to be built between cultures is, simply put, one of “communication” and “interaction.” The first of these two elements forms the necessary underpinning for the second to work, while the second is the inevitable outcome of the first. When the requisite conditions exist here there is a mechanism that always operates: provided there is communication between two phenomena, there is interaction as well. One of the first scholars to link the element of “culture” to such a mechanism was İbn-i Haldun. He was born in tunisia in 1332, toward the end of the middle ages which for a thousand years had plunged europe into darkness, and apart from Tunisia he lived in Algeria, Morocco and Andalucia. He died in 1406 at the age of 74 in Egypt, where he had spent the last 22 years of his life. A highly interesting person, this İbn-i Haldun. His life was divided between, on the one hand, acting as administrator at the highest level to the sultans of North-West Africa, Andalucia and Egypt, and on the other hand carrying out scientific studies. İbn-i Haldun said the following: “first there is the nomadic society. Its culture involves such positive values as courage and frugality.

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