ISTANBUL (AA) - April 26, 2013 - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that alcohol and its consumption was the mother of all evilness.
Speaking at the official inauguration of the Global Alcohol Policies Symposium held in Istanbul and made possible by the cooperation of the Turkish Green Crescent Society and World Health Organization (WHO), Prime Minister Erdogan emphasized that they were in a position to take measures to help save individuals from alcohol addiction which became a serious threat to the health of the society.
I am a father, human, and a Prime Minister and I have to help save individuals from alcohol addiction, Erdogan stated.
"Alcohol offers no benefits to a society. On the contrary, alcohol hurts a society. Alcohol addiction can in no way be defended as a style of life. Alcohol consumption threatens human health worldwide," Erdogan stressed.
"Half of the world consumes alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption is one of the three factors causing early death," Erdogan said.
"Every year, 2.5 million people die in the world due to alcohol consumption," Erdogan stated.
"Alcoholic beverages and their consumption lead to violence, crimes, suicides, family problems, social problems and traffic accidents," Erdogan stressed.
"Our duty mandates us to protect the health of humans, to defend the right for life and to make sure people live in tranquility and prosperity," Erdogan also said.
