He also praised the secular character of the Turkish state: "Turkey demonstrates that a secular democratic republic, with a predominantly Muslim population, well integrated in Europe, offers a powerful alternative to fundamentalist temptations throughout the world, as well as a major asset in promoting dialogue between civilisations and religions," he stressed.
On je takođe pohvalio sekularni karakter turske države: "Turska pokazuje da sekularna demokratska republika, sa uglavnom muslimanskim stanovništvom, dobro integrisana u Evropu, nudi moćnu alternativu fundamentalističkim pobudama širom sveta, kao i važan resurs u promovisanju dijaloga između civilizacija i religija", naglasio je on.