Turkish PM: Islam World Should Criticize Itself

Addressing the Business Forum of the OIC, Erdogan said that the Forum came into existence under the Standing Committee of the Islamic Conference which aimed at furthering trade and commercial relations between its members and to institutionalize these.

Inaugurating the Forum’s meetings, Erdogan said that countries spent efforts in a vast geography to overcome the economic and political strains which the Islam civilizations faces for the last centuries and "In recent years when globalization gained an impetus, the need of change of our societies, necessitates us to step up efforts to eliminate our problems. Problems of the Islam world go beyond traditional and national means. A global dimension has been attained.Theerfore solutions repuires producing a global approach. "

Erdogan went on to say that the driving force of the cooperation among the countries was economy, trade, investment and development and that the leading actor of economic cooperation, was the private sector.

"The time has come and even passed for self-criticsm. We have to do that. Why are we here or should we be here? Have we not be at a more advanced point? We have to pose these questions to ourselves" he said.

"Why the level of our relations are at this point? Should we not have to further these? We have to think about this," he concluded.