Baykal: "Secularism provides democracy in Turkey"

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday said that secularism lies at the foundation of Turkey's democracy and development. Speaking at a symposium at Isparta's Suleyman Demirel University, Baykal said that the republic realized by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his allies, which was meant to renew and change a society, was one of the world's most ambitious projects. Baykal added that secularism is the reason why Turkey's democracy and development is ahead of other Islamic countries. At the symposium, the university also gave an honorary doctorate to British historian Andrew Mango, who is famed for his books on Turkey and Ataturk.