Erdogan seeks authors' support for democratic initiative

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with leading Turkish authors at his office in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace over the weekend to seek their support for the government's democratic initiative aimed at expanding freedoms and human rights to solve a number of longstanding issues in Turkey. Erdogan told the gathering that there has recently been a serious paradigm change in the state administration. "There have been changes in understanding, policies and implementation. However, some problems still continue," he said. "We can only cope with the problems facing the nation by working together." Stating that the government has decided to hold a series of talks to provide information about the national unity and fraternity project, Erdogan said the goal of those meetings is to discuss the country's chronic issues and reach broad agreement on ways to solve them. "Certain longstanding issues are obstructing Turkey's development and consuming our energy and resources," Erdogan said. Stressing that the government has made sweeping reforms in recent years, which he called a "silent revolution," Erdogan said Turkey is going through a process of transformation and change in every area. Erdogan also said he hoped to benefit from the experiences and ideas of artists and authors.