The new Central Mosque is photographed in Cologne, Germany.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will inaugurate in the German city of Cologne one of the largest mosques in Europe on Saturday.
The Cologne Central Mosque, built by Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) after eight years of construction work, has a capacity of 1,200 people.
“It will be the most important and one of the largest mosques in Europe and Germany. It has a symbolic meaning for our Muslim brothers living here,” Nevzat Yasar Asikoglu, chairman of the DITIB, told reporters.
“Our mosque also symbolizes peace, brotherhood as well as the culture of co-existence,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday at the organization's headquarters in New York.The closed-door meeting came a day before Erdogan's address to the General Assembly's 73rd session.The UN said Guterres "commended the excellent UN-Turkish cooperation, including in support of Turkey’s hosting of more than 3.5 million refugees".Video: Erdoğan meets UN chief in NYC"The Secretary-General and the President discussed the situation in Syria, with the Secretary-General welcoming the agreement reached on 17 September to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib," the UN said in the statement.Turkey and Russia also signed a memorandum of understanding on that date calling for the "stabilization" of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.Under the pact, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas where they are already present while Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area to head off renewed fighting.Erdoğan meets Japanese, Iranian leadersThe theme of this year's general assembly meetings is Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.Erdogan's schedule in New York runs through Wednesday.Later, Turkish presidential sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, said the two men confirmed their resolution to further develop close cooperation between Turkey and the UN.Erdogan and Guterres also discussed measures taken for the de-escalation zone in Idlib following a deal between Ankara and Moscow in the Russian city of Sochi as well as the political process in Syria.Some key global and regional issues were also addressed, according to the sources.Erdogan also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe behind closed doors.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank were also present at the meeting.*Servet Gunerigok and Michael Hernandez contributed to this story from Washington
Turkish president meets UN chief in New York
Asikoglu said those who visit the mosque are impressed by interior adornment of the mosque in which Seljuk motif was predominantly used.
The mosque has nine entrances and there is a crescent and a star in the middle of its dome.
The 17,000 square-meter mosque complex also has a shopping center, an exhibition and a seminar hall, a 600-people capacity conference hall, a library, working offices and a car park on the ground floor.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will inaugurate one of the largest mosques in Europe in the German city of Cologne on Saturday. The Cologne Central Mosque, built by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) after eight years of construction work, has a capacity of 1,200 people.
Erdoğan to inaugurate one of Europe’s largest mosques in Germany
Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, three million are of Turkish origin. Many of them are second or third-generations of Turkish families who migrated to Germany in the 1960s, and are said to be well integrated in the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Monday with the leaders of Japan and Iran in New York.The closed-door meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came a day before Erdoğan's address to the UN General Assembly's 73rd session.The theme of this year's general assembly is Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.Erdoğan also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday at the organization's headquarters in the city.Erdoğan's schedule in New York runs through Wednesday.Video: Erdoğan meets Iran's Rouhani in New York
Erdoğan meets Japanese, Iranian leaders