Statement by Minister of European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış regarding recent events by Alex Balistreri (Notes) on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 10:29pm (This is not an official translation yet!) Republic of Turkey Ministry of European Union Affairs Media and Public Relations Office PRESS RELEASE Statement by Minister of European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış regarding recent events 13 June 2013 Over the last few days, we have seen some officials and parliamentarians in the Western media and within Europe making and broadcasting quite presumptuous and irresponsible statements. It seems as if they’ve lost their ability to think straight. Nevertheless, we do appreciate Ms. Ashton and Mr. Füle’s positive and constructive messages regarding the need to strengthen Turkey’s prospects for EU membership and open Chapters 23 and 24 on accession. We continue to value our friends in Europe who are still thinking clearly and objectively. Yet it is clear that some parliamentarians in the European Parliament are all too excited to make full use of their freedom to blather nonsense just to get their moment in the spotlight. Yes, blathering nonsense is certainly a freedom, and one that we respect. We pray to God that they will be reunited with their mental facilities as soon as possible. It is above all the credibility and the image of the European Parliament that is being hurt by the release of such disproportionate, unbalanced, and illogical statements, and by allowing the Parliamentary stand to become the platform for such absurdities. Rather than continuing to be complicit in such absurdities, it would be wiser for European Union officials to put an end to them. Some parliamentarians have to understand that there’s a price to pay for talking this freely and presumptuously about Turkey’s domestic issues. They shouldn’t let themselves become complicit in the sordid plans in this country and around the world. They shouldn’t be deceived by manipulations and false accusations. They shouldn’t take the bait of such deceptions and think it’s their duty to concern themselves with the situation. Turkey is not a banana republic. It is a democratic, secular, and social state governed by rule of law. It knows very well what to govern and how, within the framework of its own state tradition. I hope that in taking the bait in talking about this temporary situation today they have carefully considered the cost of targeting not only our government but the Turkish Republic. No one has the right to accuse the State of the Turkish Republic of committing violence, let alone those very European politicians and countries who themselves have had a questionable history on this topic. There is no such thing as state violence in Turkey. What does exist is our resolve not to allow people to trample on our security and the rule of law by hiding behind protesters with ecological sensibilities. We are well aware that this plot has its tentacles both within and outside this country. In any case, we personally started an investigation into those among our security forces who doled out too high a dose of intervention. We, as a government, have even sought ways to turn this problem into a solution by using a mechanism that will strengthen democracy: We have stated that we could imagine the Topçu Kışlası barracks issue, the target of the protests, potentially going to referendum. This is a manifestation of the trust we place in democracy and the will of the people above all. The strongest and most reformist government of Europe and one of the world’s strongest and most charismatic leaders are currently hard at work in Turkey. If they have a problem with this, then I guess I’m sorry. Being crushed under Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership is only a problem for those who can’t handle the pressure. The same European Union that said nothing to those who turned Europe’s most innocent protests into a spiral of violence is now the European Union that is misrepresenting the righteous struggle of Turkey’s security forces against vandalism by calling it “disproportionate.” And this is the same European Union who has not raised its voice enough against the massacre of hundreds of people in Syria every day? Now which European Union are we supposed to believe? Those within and outside of this country who act as the tentacles of the plot [to destroy Turkey] are going to be sorely disappointed. We are not going to let Recep Tayyip Erdoğan be sacrificed to the hungry interest lobby or its international networks. No one is strong enough to do this. The Turkish nation will not allow it. Floods may go, but their silt stays behind. Demonstrations come and go. So I say to those who are reacting to this temporary situation by being complicit in this sinister campaign to destroy the dignity of the Turkish people: How will they be able to look us in the face after all this has passed? Hard as the wind may blow, it can only take the dust off the top of boulders. There’s nothing we can do about the ones who are dragged away by the flood or blown away by the wind. Those parliamentarians and officials who think that their threats of suspending Turkey’s European Union process still have any deterrent power are naïve. Suspending relations with Turkey does not pose a threat to Turkey, but to the European Union. In spite of everything, we will continue to show our resolve on the European Union reform process. One manifestation of this resolve is the fact that we are currently planning a meeting of the Reform Monitoring Group on Saturday, 15 June 2013 at our ministry, joined by no less than four ministers: [myself], Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Interior Minister Muammer Güler. The best choice for everyone is to continue the relations between Turkey and the European Union down its own course and on the necessary foundation. As the side that has chosen this path, we will maintain our resolve to the very end of the reform process. With this in mind we would like to make clear that taking any stance that stands in the way of the several positive steps we have planned for the near future will put Turkey-EU relations down the path of no return. 13 June 2013 abgs.gov.tr/index.php?p=49004
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:11:46 +0000