'Muslims should withdraw their money from Swiss banks'

Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis has urged Muslim nations to withdraw their money from Swiss banks.

Bagis' comments came in response to a recently approved ban on the construction of new minarets in Switzerland.

Following a weekend referendum, the construction of any new minaret was declared illegal in Switzerland, a move which drew sharp criticism from Muslim and European countries, as well as the UN and the Vatican.

"This will prompt our Muslim brothers who have deposited their money in Swiss banks to rethink their decision,” the Turkish daily Zaman quoted Bagis as saying on Tuesday.

He suggested that Muslims could deposit their money in Turkish banks instead of Swiss banks.

“In 2008, when banks around the world were falling, no bank was affected in Turkey, and the door of Turkey's banking system is open to them,” Bagis added.