Turkish deputy PM emphasises NGOs at PABSEC

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Wednesday said, "NGOs carry out active tasks in whatever field you look at ranging from the mentality governing a state to protecting the rights of the people gathered around a specific idea." Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag attended an NGOs Forum of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in Ankara. NGO representatives from Turkey, Albania, Azarbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Greece attended the forum organized with the contribution of the Presidency of Overseas Turks and Relative Societies (YTB). "NGOs carry out active tasks in whatever field you look at ranging from the mentality governing a state to protecting the rights of the people gathered around a specific idea. Today, NGOs are no longer local entities. It is very meaningful, beneficial and important that NGOs have gone beyond the boundaries of their own countries and compete in realizing good deeds for the benefit of humanity, society and mutual benefit of states," Bozdag said. Stating that negative thoughts breeding racism, discrimination and Islamophobia were taking place, Bozdag said, "These thoughts being on the rise is not only a threat to those states but also to the whole world. I believe at this point NGOs have many responsibilities. If such negative thoughts spread, our opportunity to live in peace and security will vanish," Bozdag added.