I would like to thank you for inviting me to talk this evening. Turkey is a nation that has been at the center of the World for much of the past 2,000 years, and now it is again at the crossroads of world affairs. It is a dynamic and modern nation that is playing a leading role in the integration of Muslim countries into the world community. Such countries will not be copies of Western countries or, for that matter, each other. There is a creative element at play that ideally will engender social and cultural diversity while providing economic advancement.