U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Turkey on Wednesday as part of what his office calls an “annual Ramadan solidarity visit,” where he is joining fasting Muslims while calling for the world to “eradicate the scourge of Islamophobia from every country and community.”
“As you know, every year, the secretary-general undertakes a Ramadan solidarity visit. This year, he will travel to Turkey, to the capital, Ankara, to pay tribute to the extraordinary generosity of the Turkish people over many years,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference.
The trip is part of a long history of support given by the veteran Portuguese Socialist to the followers of Islam.
“Turkey has provided refuge and support, hosting one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with nearly 2.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 2.3 million Syrians,” Dujarric noted.
Guterres will receive “the state award, the Atatürk International Peace Prize, which he will accept on behalf of U.N. personnel throughout the world,” during his visit.
Diplomacy is also on the agenda, with Guterres scheduled to hold discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will fast while in Turkey during specified Ramadan hours as a show of solidarity with Muslims all over the world. (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty)
The Turkey visit comes just days after Guterres used the U.N.’s own International Day to Combat Islamophobia to plead, “The world’s two billion Muslims hail from all corners of the globe, reflecting the vast diversity of humanity itself.”
He said “Islamophobia” is real and growing and the time has come for the world to heed his call, “Let’s eradicate the scourge of Islamophobia from every country and community.”
