Jonas Gahr Støre: In defense of dialogue

Translator: Jagoba Salvador Reviewer: Lander Arbelaitz

Amongst all the troubling deficits we struggle with today --

Gaur egun aurrean ditugun gabezia kezkagarri guztietatik,

we think of financial and economic primarily --

nagusiki finantza eta ekonomian pentsatzen dugu,

the ones that concern me most

ni gehien kezkatzen nauena

is the deficit of political dialogue --

elkarrizketa politiko falta da ordea.

our ability to address modern conflicts

Gatazka modernoak

as they are,

direna bezala jorratzeko gaitasuna,

to go to the source of what they're all about

gatazkaren errora iristea

and to understand the key players

eta aktore nagusiak ulertzea

and to deal with them.

eta haiekin tratatzea.

We who are diplomats,

Gu, diplomatikook,

we are trained to deal with conflicts between states and issues between states.

estatuen arteko gatazka eta arazoak jorratzeko prestatuta gaude.

And I can tell you, our agenda is full.

Eta ziurtatzen dizuet, gure agenda beteta dago.

There is trade, there is disarmament,

Badago merkataritza, badago desarmea,

there is cross-border relations.

badaude mugaz gaindiko harremanak.

But the picture is changing,

Baina argazkia aldatzen ari da

and we are seeing that there are new key players

eta aktore nagusi berriak

coming onto the scene.

agertzen ari direla ikusten dugu.

We loosely call them "groups."

Orokorki, “taldeak” deitzen diegu.

They may represent social, religious,

Ordezkatu ditzakete errealitate sozialak, erlijiosoak,

political, economic, military realities.

politikoak, ekonomikoak, militarrak.

And we struggle with how to deal with them.

Eta hauekin nola tratatu eztabaidatzen dugu.

The rules of engagement:

Konpromezuaren arauak hauek dira:

how to talk, when to talk,

nola hitz egin, noiz hitz egin

and how to deal with them.

eta nola aritu beraiekin.

Let me show you a slide here

Utzidazue irudi bat erakusten

which illustrates the character of conflicts

irudikatzen duena 1946tik hona izan diren

since 1946 until today.

gatazken izaera.

You see the green

Begira, berdea

is a traditional interstate conflict,

estatuen arteko gatazka tradizionala da,

the ones we used to read about.

hauei buruz irakurtzen genuen.

The red is modern conflict,

Gorria gatazka modernoa da,

conflicts within states.

estatuen barneko gatazkak.

These are quite different,

Hauek nahiko ezberdinak dira,

and they are outside the grasp

eta diplomazia modernoaren

of modern diplomacy.

irismenteik kanpo geratzen dira.

And the core of these key actors

Eta aktore nagusi horien nukleoa

are groups

taldeak dira

who represent different interests

interes ezberdinen ordezkari direnak

inside countries.

estatuen barnean.

And the way they deal with their conflicts rapidly spreads to other countries.

Eta beren gatazkei aurre egiteko modua azkar zabaltzen da beste herrialde batzuetara.

So in a way, it is everybody's business.

Beraz, nolabai, guztion kontua da.

Another acknowledgment we've seen during these years,

Beste gauza bat

recent years,

azken urte hauetan ikusi duguna da,

is that very few

gatazka domestiko hauetatik

of these domestic interstate, intrastate conflicts

oso gutxi konpondu

can be solved militarily.

daitezkeela era militarrean.

They may have to be dealt with with military means,

Agian militarki jorratuz ekin behar zaie,

but they cannot be solved by military means.

baina ezin dira militarki konpondu.

They need political solutions.

Konponbide politikoak behar dituzte.

And we, therefore, have a problem,

Eta guk, horregatik, arazo bat dugu,

because they escape traditional diplomacy.

diplomazia tradizionaletik kanpo daudelako.

And we have among states

Eta guk estatuok,

a reluctance in dealing with them.

ez dugu gogorik izaten hauei ekiteko.

Plus, during the last decade,

Gainera, azken hamarkadan,

we've been in the mode

moda jarraitu dugu

where dealing with groups

zeina taldeekin hitz egitea

was conceptually and politically dangerous.

politikoki eta kontzeptualki arriskutsua zen.

After 9/11,

Irailaren 11 eta gero,

either you were with us or against us.

gurekin edo gure aurka egon zintezkeen.

It was black or white.

Txuria edo beltza zen.

And groups are very often

Eta taldeak askotan

immediately label terrorists.

terroristatzat hartzen ziren berehala.

And who would talk to terrorists?

Eta nork hitz egingo luke terroristekin?

The West, as I would see it,

Mendebaldea, nire ustez,

comes out of that decade weakened,

ahulduta irten da azken hamarkadatik,

because we didn't understand the group.

ez baikenuen taldea ulertu.

So we've spent more time

Denbora gehiago pasa dugu

on focusing on why we should not talk to others

besteekin zergatik ez genuen hitz egin behar nabarmentzen,

than finding out how we talk to others.

besteekin nola hitz egin bilatzen baino.

Now I'm not naive.

Hala ere, ez naiz naive edo inozoa.

You cannot talk to everybody all the time.

Ezin duzu beti guztiekin hitz egin.

And there are times you should walk.

Eta kasu batzuetan ospa egin behar zenuke.

And sometimes military intervention is necessary.

Eta batzuetan esku-hartze militarra beharrezkoa da.

I happen to believe that Libya was necessary

Adibidez Libian beharrezkoa izan zela uste dut,

and that military intervention in Afghanistan was also necessary.

eta Afganistanen ere interbentzio miliatarra beharrezkoa zela.

And my country relies on its security

Nere herrialdeak segurtasunean sinisten du

through military alliance, that's clear.

aliantza militarraren bidezkoa, hori argi dago.

But still we have a large deficit

Baina oraindik gabezia handia dugu

in dealing with and understanding modern conflict.

gatazka modernoen trataeran eta hauek ulertzeko moduan.

Let us turn to Afghanistan.

Ikus dezagun Afganistango kasua.

10 years after that military intervention,

Esku-hartze militar hartatik hamar urte pasa direnean,

that country is far from secure.

herrialdea seguru izatetik oso urrun dago.

The situation, to be honest, is very serious.

Egoera, zuzenak izateko, oso serioa da.

Now again, the military is necessary,

Beste behin, armada beharrezkoa da,

but the military is no problem-solver.

baina armada ez da arazo-konpontzailea.

When I first came to Afghanistan in 2005 as a foreign minister,

Kanpo ministro gisan 2005ean lehen aldiz Afganistanera joan nintzenean

I met the commander of ISAF,

ISAF-eko komandantearekin egon ninzten

the international troops.

nazioarteko tropak koordinatzen dituen taldea.

And he told me that, "This can be won militarily, minister.

Eta esan zidan: “Hau militarki irabazi daiteke, ministro jauna.

We just have to persevere."

Jarraitu besterik ez dugu egin behar”.

Now four COM ISAF's later,

Orain, ISAFeko lau komandante bertatik igaro ostean,

we hear a different message:

mezu ezberdin bat entzuten dugu:

"This cannot be won militarily.

“Hau ezin da militarki irabazi.

We need military presence,

Presentzia militarra behar dugu,

but we need to move to politics.

baina politikara pasa behar dugu.

We can only solve this through a political solution.

Konponbidea politikaren bidez bakarrik lor dezakegu.

And it is not us who will solve it;

Eta ez gara gu izango hau konponduko dugunak;

Afghans have to solve it."

afganiarrek konpondu behar dute".

But then they need a different political process

Baina orduan beste prozesu politiko bat behar dute

than the one they were given in 2001, 2002.

2001 eta 2002an jorratutako beste prozesu ezberdin bat.

They need an inclusive process

Prozesu inklusibo bat behar dute,

where the real fabric of this very complicated society

non gizarte konplikatu honen benetako egiturak

can deal with their issues.

haien arazoei aurre egingo dien.

Everybody seems to agree with that.

Denek honekin ados dirudite.

It was very controversial to say three, four, five years ago.

Duela hiru, lau, bost urte hau esatea oso eztabaidagarria zen.

Now everybody agrees.

Orain denak ados daude.

But now, as we prepare to talk,

Baina orain, hitz egiteko prestatu garenean,

we understand how little we know.

konturatu gara ze gutxi dakigun.

Because we didn't talk.

Bere garaian ez baikenuen hitz egin.

We didn't grasp what was going on.

Ez genuen jakin gertatzen zena ulertzen.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC,

Gurutze Gorriaren Nazioarteko Batzordeak, ICRCak,

is talking to everyone,

denekin hitz egiten du,

and it is doing so because it is neutral.

eta hau egiten du neutrala delako.

And that's one reason why

Arrazoi honengatik, besteak beste,

that organization probably

erakunde hau da, seguraski,

is the best informed key player

ongien informatuta dagoen aktorea da,

to understand modern conflict --

gatazka modernoa ulertzeko.

because they talk.

Hitz egiten dutelako.

My point is that you don't have to be neutral to talk.

Nire jarrera da ez duzula neutrala izan behar hitz egiteko.

And you don't have to agree

Eta ez duzu ados egon behar

when you sit down with the other side.

beste aldekoarekin esertzen zarenean.

And you can always walk.

Eta beti da posible moztea.

But if you don't talk,

Baina, hitz egin ezean,

you can't engage the other side.

ezin da beste aldearekin elkar ulertu.

And the other side which you're going to engage

Eta elkar ulertu behar duzun alde horrekin

is the one with whom you profoundly disagree.

izango duzu, hain zuzen ere ,desadostasunik sakonena.

Prime Minister Rabin said when he engaged the Oslo process,

Rabin Lehen Ministroak, Osloko Akordioak sinatu zituenean, esan zuen:

"You don't make peace with your friends,

“Ez dugu bakea lagunekin egiten,

you make peace with your enemies."

etsaiekin egiten da bakea”.

It's hard, but it is necessary.

Zaila da, baina beharrezkoa.

Let me go one step further.

Utzidazue urrutiago joaten.

This is Tahrir Square.

Hau Tahrir plaza da.

There's a revolution going on.

Iraultza martxan da.

The Arab Spring is heading into fall

Arabiar Udaberria udazkenerantz bideratu da

and is moving into winter.

eta negurantz doa.

It will last for a long, long time.

Denbora asko, asko iraungo du.

And who knows what it will be called in the end.

Eta nork daki amaierari nola deituko zaion.

That's not the point.

Ez da hori garrantzitsuena.

The point is that we are probably seeing,

Inportanteena da, ziurrenik ikusten ari garela

for the first time in the history of the Arab world,

Arabiar munduaren historian lehen aldiz,

a revolution bottom-up --

behetik gora egindako iraultza bat,

people's revolution.

herriaren iraultza.

Social groups are taking to the streets.

Gizarte-taldeak kaleak hartzen ari dira.

And we find out in the West

Eta Mendebaldean ohartzen gara

that we know very little about what's happening.

oso gutxi dakigula gertatzen ari denaz.

Because we never talk to the people in these countries.

Ez baitugu inoiz herrialde hauetako herritarrekin hitz egiten.

Most governments followed

Gobernu gehienek jarraitu egin zituzte

the dictate of the authoritarian leaders

lider autoritarioen aginduak

to stay away from these different groups,

talde hauetatik urrun mantentzeko agindua jasoz,

because they were terrorists.

terroristak zirelako.

So now that they are emerging in the street

Orain, kalera irteten ari direnean

and we salute the democratic revolution,

eta iraultza demokratikoa txalotzen dugunean,

we find out how little we know.

konturatzen gara oso gutxi dakigula beraiei buruz.

Right now, the discussion goes,

Momentu honetan, eztabaidak jarraitzen du:

"Should we talk to the Muslim Brotherhood?

“Hitz egin behar al genuke Anaia Musulmanekin?

Should we talk to Hamas?

Hitz egin behar al genuke Hamasekin?

If we talk to them, we may legitimize them."

Hitz egiten badugu, baliteke guk haiek legitimatzea”.

I think that is wrong.

Uste dut okerra dela.

If you talk in the right way, you make it very clear

Behar den moduan hitz egiten bada, argi uzten da

that talking is not agreeing.

hitz egitea ez dela ados egotea.

And how can we tell the Muslim Brotherhood,

Eta, nola esan Anaia Musulmanei,

as we should,

esan behar diegun bezala,

that they must respect minority rights,

gutxiengoen eskubideak errespetatu behar dituztela,

if we don't accept majority rights?

guk ez baditugu gehiengoen eskubideak errespetatzen?

Because they may turn out to be a majority.

Gehiengoa izatera pasa baitaitezke.

How can we escape [having] a double-standard,

Nola libra gaitezke bi aurpegiko jarrera horretarik,

if we at the same time preach democracy

demokrazia predikatzen dugun bitartean

and at the same time

eta aldi berean

don't want to deal with the groups that are representative?

ordezkariak diren taldeekin tratatu nahi ez badugu?

How will we ever be interlocutors?

Nola izango gara noizbait interlokutore?

Now my diplomats are instructed

Nire diplomatikoak hezita daude

to talk to all these groups.

talde hauekin hitz egiteko hezten dira.

But talking can be done in different ways.

Baina hainbat modutan hitz egin daiteke.

We make a distinction between talking from a diplomatic level

Bereiztu egiten ditugu maila diplomatikoan hitz egitea

and talking at the political level.

eta hitz egitea maila politikoan.

Now talking can be accompanied with aid or not with aid.

Hitz egiteak laguntza behar izan dezake edo ez.

Talking can be accompanied with inclusion or not inclusion.

Hitz egiteak inklusioa ekar dezke edo ez.

There's a big array

Modu asko daude

of the ways of dealing with this.

gaia jorratzeko..

So if we refuse

Beraz, baztertu egiten badugu

to talk to these new groups

talde berri hauekin hitz egitea

that are going to be dominating the news in years to come,

albistegietan gailendu egingo direnak datozen urteetan,

we will further radicalization,

erradikalizazioa sustatuko dugu,

I believe.

hori da nik uste dudana.

We will make the road from violent activities into politics

Beraien indarkeria ekintzetatik politikara egin behar duten bidea

harder to travel.

zailagoa egingo dugu.

And if we cannot demonstrate to these groups

Eta ezin badiegu talde hauei erakutsi

that if you move towards democracy,

demokraziarantz aurrera egiten baduzu,

if you move towards taking part

parte hartzerantz mugitzen bazara

in civilized and normal standards among states,

estatuen arteko era zibilizatu eta normalean

there are some rewards on the other side.

beste aldean badaudela sariak.

The paradox here

Hemen paradoxa da

is that the last decade probably was a lost decade

pasa den hamarkada, seguraski, hamarkada galdua izan dela

for making progress on this.

alor honetan aurre egiteko.

And the paradox is that the decade before the last decade was so promising --

Eta paradoxa da aurreko hamarkadaren aurrekoak etorkizun handikoa zirudiela,

and for one reason primarily.

eta arrazoi nagusi batengatik gehienbat.

And the reason is what happened in South Africa:

Eta arrazoia da Hegoafrikan gertatu zena:

Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela.

When Mandela came out of prison

Mandela kartzelatik irten zenean

after 27 years of captivity,

27 urteko kartzelaldia eta gero,

if he had told his people,

bere herriari esan izan balio:

"It's time to take up the arms,

“Armak hartzeko garaia da,

it's time to fight,"

borroka egiteko garaia”,

he would have been followed.

jarraitua izango zen.

And I think the international community

Eta uste dut nazioarteko komunitateak

would have said, "Fair enough.

esan zukeela: “Ongi da.

It's their right to fight."

Borroka egiteko eskubidea dute”.

Now as you know, Mandela didn't do that.

Jakingo duzuen bezala, Mandelak ez zuen hori egin.

In his memoirs, "Long Road to Freedom,"

"Bide Luzea Askatasunerantz" izeneko bere memorietan,

he wrote that he survived

idatzi zuen biziraun zuela

during those years of captivity

atxilotua egon zen urte horietan

because he always decided to look upon his oppressor

betidanik erabaki zuelako bere zapaltzailea hartzea

as also being a human being,

beste gizaki bat bezala,

also being a human being.

beste gizaki bat bezala hartzea.

So he engaged a political process of dialogue,

Horregatik, elkarrizketa politikoko prozesu bat abiatu zuen

not as a strategy of the weak,

ez ahularen estrategia gisa,

but as a strategy of the strong.

baizik eta boteretsuaren estrategia bezala.

And he engaged talking profoundly

Eta oso sakon mintzatu zen

by settling some of the most tricky issues

arazo delikatuenak jorratuz

through a truth and reconciliation process

egia eta berradiskidetasun prozesu baten bitartez

where people came and talked.

non jendea joaten zen eta hitz egin.

Now South African friends will know

Hegoafrikako lagunek jakingo dute

that was very painful.

oso mingarria izan zela hau.

So what can we learn from all of this?

Beraz, zer ikas dezakegu guzti honetatik?

Dialogue is not easy --

Elkarrizketa ez da erraza,

not between individuals, not between groups, not between governments --

ez pertsonen artean, ez taldeen artean, ez gobernuen artean,

but it is very necessary.

baina oso beharrezkoa da.

If we're going to deal with political conflict-solving of conflicts,

Gatazken konponbide politikoari ekiten badiogu,

if we're going to understand these new groups

talde berri hauek ulertuko badigutu

which are coming from bottom-up,

behetik gora sortzen ari direnak,

supported by technology, which is available to all,

guztion eskura dagoen teknologiaren laguntzaz

we diplomats cannot be sitting back in the banquets

guk, diplomatikook, ezin dugu eserita alferkerian ibili,

believing that we are doing interstate relations.

sinetsiz estatuen arteko harremanak jorratzen ari garela.

We have to connect

Konektatu egin behar dugu

with these profound changes.

aldaketa sakon hauekin.

And what is dialogue really about?

Eta zertan datza benetan elkarrizketak?

When I enter into dialogue,

Elkarrizketa batean sartzen naizenean,

I really hope that the other side

benetan espero dut beste aldeak

would pick up my points of view,

nire ikuspuntua ulertuko duela,

that I would impress upon them

besteari helaraziko dizkiodala

my opinions and my values.

nire iritzi eta balioak.

I cannot do that

Ezin dut horrelakorik egin

unless I send the signals that I will be open

ez baditut seinale batzuk bidaltzen esanaz irekita egongo naizela

to listen to the other side's signals.

beste aldekoaren seinaleak entzuteko.

We need a lot more training on how to do that

Askoz ere trebakuntza gehiago behar dugu hau nola egitean

and a lot more practice

eta askoz ere praktika gehiago

on how that can take problem-solving forward.

honek arazoen ebazpenean nola lagun dezaken.

We know from our personal experiences

Gure esperientzia propioengatik badakigu

that it's easy sometimes

batzuetan erraza dela

just to walk,

mahaitik altxatzea

and sometimes you may need to fight.

eta batzuetan borroka egin behar duzu.

And I wouldn't say that is the wrong thing in all circumstances.

Eta ez nuke esango egoera guztietan aukera okerra denik.

Sometimes you have to.

Batzuetan egin behar duzu.

But that strategy seldom takes you very far.

Baina estrategia horrek nekez eramango zaitu urrutira.

The alternative is a strategy

Alternatiba estrategia bat da

of engagement and principled dialogue.

elkarrizketan oinarritutakoa.

And I believe we need to strengthen this approach

Eta nere ustez ikuspuntu hau sendotu behar dugu

in modern diplomacy,

diplomazia modernoan,

not only between states,

ez soilik estatuen artean,

but also within states.

baizik eta estatuen barruan ere.

We are seeing some new signs.

Seinale berri batzuk ikusten ari gara.

We could never have done

Ezin izango genukeen inoiz egin

the convention against anti-personnel landmines

mina antipertsonalen aurkako batzarra

and the convention that is banning cluster munitions

eta 'cluster' munizioa debekatzen duen batzarra

unless we had done diplomacy differently,

diplomazia modu ezberdinean garatu izan ez bagenu,

by engaging with civil society.

gizarte zibilarekin engaiatu ez bagina.

All of a sudden,

Eta bat-batean,

NGOs were not only standing in the streets, crying their slogans,

GKEak ez ziren soilik kaleetan ari beren lemak oihukatzen,

but they were taking [them] into the negotiations,

baizik eta negoziazioetan sartzen hasi ziren,

partly because they represented the victims of these weapons.

neurri batean arma hauen biktimen ordezkari zirelako.

And they brought their knowledge.

Eta beraien ezagutza ekarri zuten.

And there was an interaction

Eta interakzio bat egon zen

between diplomacy and the power coming bottom-up.

diplomazia eta behetik sortutako boterearen artean.

This is perhaps a first element

Hori da, beharbada, lehen elementua

of a change.

aldaketa batean.

In the future, I believe,

Etorkizunean, sinisten dut,

we should draw examples from these different illustrations,

gertaera ezberdin hauek adibide bezala hartu behar genituzke

not to have diplomacy

ez dezagun izan diplomazia bat

which is disconnected from people and civil society.

herriarekin eta gizarte zibilarekin loturarik ez duena.

And we have to go also

Eta gainera, joan behar dugu

beyond traditional diplomacy

diplomazia tradizionaletik haratago

to the survival issue of our times,

egungo biziraupen arazoetaraino,

climate change.

aldaketa klimatikoraino.

How are we going to solve climate change through negotiations,

Nola konponduko dugu aldaketa klimatikoa negoziaketen bitartez,

unless we are able to make civil society and people,

gizarte zibila eta herria soluzioaren parte egiteko gai ez garen bitartean

not part of the problem, but part of the solution?

eta ez arazoaren parte bat, baizik eta soluzioarena?

It is going to demand an inclusive process of diplomacy

Eskatuko du diplomezia prozesu inklusibo bat

very different from the one we are practicing today

egun praktikatzen ari garenaren oso ezberdina

as we are heading to new rounds of difficult climate negotiations,

klimari buruzko negoziazio zailetarantz gerturatzen ari baikara,

but when we move toward something

baina norabait mugitzen ari garenean

which has to be much more

mobilizazio zabala

along a broad mobilization.

baino askoz gehiago izan behar luke.

It's crucial to understand, I believe,

Uste dut erabakigarria dela ulertzea,

because of technology and because of globalization,

teknologiarengatik eta globalizazioarengatik,

societies from bottom-up.

behetik gora eratzen diren gizarteak.

We as diplomats

Diplomatiko bezala, guk,

need to know the social capital

komunitateen gizarte kapitala

of communities.

ezagutu behar dugu.

What is it that makes people trust each other,

Zer da petsonen arteko konfidantza eragiten duena,

not only between states,

ez bakarrik estatuen artean,

but also within states?

baizik eta estatuen barruan ere?

What is the legitimacy of diplomacy,

Zein da diplomaziaren zilegitasuna

of the the solution we devise as diplomats

diplomatiko bezala burutzen ditugun ebazpenena,

if they cannot be reflected and understood

ez badira bertan islatzen eta ulertzen

by also these broader forces of societies

gizarteak eratzen dituzten indar ezberdin hauek

that we now very loosely call groups?

gaur egun era zabalean "talde" deitzen diegunak?

The good thing is that we are not powerless.

Alde ona da ez garela indarrik gabeak.

We have never had

Ez ditugu inoiz izan

as many means of communication,

hainbeste komunikatzeko modu,

means of being connected, means of reaching out,

konektatuta egoteko moduak, kanpora heltzeko moduak

means of including.

inklusibo izateko moduak.

The diplomatic toolbox

Diplomatikoaren herraminta kutxa

is actually full of different tools we can use

gure komunikazioa indartzeko erabil ditzakegun

to strengthen our communication.

herraminta ezberdinez beteta dago.

But the problem is that we are coming out of a decade

Baina arazoa da hamarkada batetik gatozela

where we had a fear of touching it.

hau ikutzeko beldurra izan duguna.

Now, I hope, in the coming years,

Orain, espero dut, datozen urteetan

that we are able to demonstrate through some concrete examples

zenbait adibide zehatzeko demostratzeko gai garela

that fear is receding

beldurra desagertzen ari dela

and that we can take courage

eta kuraia har dezakegula

from that alliance

elkartasun horretatik

with civil society

gizarte zibilarekin

in different countries

herrialde ezberdinetan

to support their problem-solving,

beren arazoen ebazpenetan laguntzeko,

among the Afghans,

afganiarren artean,

inside the Palestinian population,

palestinar biztanleriaren barruan,

between the peoples of Palestine and Israel.

Palestina eta Israelgo herritarren artean.

And as we try to understand this broad movement

Eta mugimendu zabal hau ulertzen saiatzen garen bitartean

across the Arab world,

arabiar munduan gertatzen ari dena

we are not powerless.

ez gara indargabeak.

We need to improve the necessary skills,

Beharrezko gaitasunak hobetu behar ditugu

and we need the courage to use them.

eta hauek erabiltzeko ausardia behar dugu.

In my country,

Nire herrialdean,

I have seen how the council of Islamist groups

ikusi dut talde islamisten batzordea

and Christian groups

eta talde kristauak

came together, not as a government initiative,

nola biltzen ziren, ez gobernuaren ekimen baten ondorioz,

but they came together on their own initiative

baizik eta beren iniziatibaz

to establish contact and dialogue

harremanak egin eta hitz egiteko

in times where things were pretty low-key tension.

egoera tentsio aldetik nahiko lasai zegoen garaian.

And when tension increased,

Eta tentsioa areagotu zenean,

they already had that dialogue,

elkarrizketa hori jada egina zutenez

and that was a strength to deal with different issues.

abantaila izan zen zenbait arazo konpontzeko garaian.

Our modern Western societies

Gure mendebaldeko gizarte modernoak

are more complex than before,

lehen baino konplexuagoak dira,

in this time of migration.

migrazo garai honetan.

How are we going to settle and build a bigger "We"

Nola ezarri eta eraikiko dugu "Gu" handiago bat

to deal with our issues

gure arazoak jorratzeko

if we don't improve our skills of communication?

gure komunikazio gaitasuna ez badugu hobetzen?

So there are many reasons,

Beraz, arrazoi asko dago,

and for all of these reasons,

eta arrazoi guzti horiengatik,

this is time and this is why we must talk.

hitz egiteko garaia da eta hitz egin behar genuke.

Thank you for your attention.

Eskerrik asko zuen arretagatik.

(Applause)

(Txaloak)