Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin said on Friday that initiatives and activities aiming at inter-religious dialogue constituted a major aspect of the alliance between civilizations.

Speaking at a regional forum titled "Inter-religious Dialogue in South-east Europe" in the Albanian capital of Tirana, Aydin said that the objectives of the "Alliance of Civilizations" initiative and the "Tirana Forum" were parallel to each other.

Commenting on the religious, cultural and historical structure of Europe's southeast, Aydin said that there were numerous cultural similarities and common values in the region, which was home to three monotheistic religions.

Aydin also said that dialogue efforts and researches on civilizations and religious & cultural issues should be gathered under one roof.

He said that neighboring countries should display efforts for the establishment of an institution that would carry out reliable studies on culture and religions.