Erdogan adresses thousands of Turks living in France

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's talks in Paris earlier this week also included an address to an enthusiastic audience of nearly 10,000 Turks living in France. Met with great applause when he stepped onto the stage at the Zenith Arena, Erdogan talked about Turkey's rise and urged French Turks to become more involved in the economic, political and social life of their adopted country. Turkey is changing, transforming, growing and improving, Erdogan said, touting his government's efforts to make Turkey more democratic and economically developed. "And now we're taking another historic step to this end," Erdogan said, referring to a constitutional reform package recently submitted to Parliament. "With this reform package, we want to give Turkey a European-class judiciary, along with a modern democracy," he said, adding that after the package passes, nothing will stand in the way of Turkey's advancement. Erdogan also reiterated the government's determination to fight illegal, undemocratic moves meant to block Turkey's democratization. Turning to the Turkish community's integration into French society, Erdogan urged, "Integrate into the society (you) live in by learning its language and becoming involved in its social life, but never assimilate." Stressing that assimilation and integration are very different, Erdogan said no one can demand that someone assimilate. "The demand to assimilate is a crime against humanity," he said. "No one can ask you to abandon your values, your culture." Erdogan said if they want to live in harmony with the society they are living in, they need to integrate into it as much as they can. On Turkey's European Union membership bid, Erdogan said Turkey will strengthen the EU with its young, dynamic, educated population of 73 million. Saying that there are nearly 5.5 million ethnic Turks living in Europe, Erdogan asked his audience to continue the spirit of the just-concluded Turkish Season in France. "I ask each of you to make more of an effort as an envoy of your country to better promote Turkey here," he said.