Türkiye's president on Saturday noted his country's initiatives to pave the way for anyone subjected to discrimination to seek justice, stressing that marginalization in many parts of the world is on the rise.
"We have paved the way to seek justice for anyone exposed to discrimination over their origin, color, language, or belief," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a group of Roma citizens in Istanbul, at an iftar fast-breaking dinner for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Noting that "hate crimes targeting immigrants reaching a frightening extent in Western countries," Erdoğan said Türkiye "rejected all the discriminatory approaches made to our Roma citizens in the past."
"Despite our shortcomings, the Türkiye we have built is an encompassing one where all kinds of discrimination are excluded," he added.
Türkiye is no longer "a country of only the elite, the whites, or a handful of happy minorities," he said.
"We will never allow racist thoughts stoked via social media to damage our brotherhood," he added.
The Turkish president also extended his best wishes for International Roma Day, which is celebrated every April 8 to spotlight Roma culture and raise awareness of the difficulties the Roma people face.
According to the Council of Europe, Türkiye has an estimated 2.75 million Roma population, the largest in Europe.
In 2016, Türkiye announced an action plan to enhance the living conditions of local Roma people.
