President Erdoğan’s message on Europe Day
Following is the message President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued on Europe Day:
“The European Union was initiated sixty-nine years ago as a peace and stability project, to bring different cultures, nations and languages together under a single umbrella. Laying the foundation of the project, Schuman Declaration was adopted on 9 May. Like in other European countries, this date has been celebrated in Turkey as “Europe Day”, since the endorsement of Turkey’s EU candidacy in 1999.
The founding values which brought the EU into existence on 9 May 1950 are challenged today by threats such as cultural racism, discrimination and anti-immigration tendencies, in particular Islamophobia. The dimension of these threats are magnified by some populist Western politicians’ discourses, raising tension and creating hostility against different ethnic and religious identities. While attacks on Muslim places of worship and workplaces have become an increasingly common event, violations of migrants’ rights are overlooked. Unfortunately, the European politics is captivated by far right movements and a hate language more potentiated each day.
It is possible to overcome these existential threats only with the support of countries like Turkey, which have a strong tradition of tolerance allowing different cultures to live together in peace. Turkey’s full EU membership will make economic, political and social contributions to the EU. It will also provide the EU with a more participatory and inclusive perspective and help the EU to become a global actor. While that is the case, there is no rightful justification to subject Turkey to discriminatory and exclusionist treatment for years because of some member states’ blockages.
Despite all the double standards we have been facing in our accession negotiations, Turkey is determined to become a full member of the EU as a strategic objective. I believe that our European friends will support Turkey’s efforts by refraining from policies and statements that would bring the accession negotiations to a deadlock.
In this perspective, I wish that the “Europe Day” will be an occasion for a constructive and visionary evaluation of the current situation of our Continent and its future plans, and congratulate the Europe Day of all the our citizens and Europeans.”
