By giving Turkey the
cold shoulder, the EU risks alienating a major ally, says the president’s
spokesman.
The failed coup attempt in Turkey marked a turning
point not only for Turkish society but also for relations between the country
and Brussels.
The European Union portrays itself as a guardian of
democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but its weak response to the most
serious attack against democracy in any candidate country was disappointing.
In the month
since the bloody putsch, evidence has mounted suggesting that the coup was
planned and executed by followers of Fethullah Gülen, the former imam whose
followers have systematically infiltrated state institutions since the 1980s.
Religious or secular, conservative or liberal, the vast majority of the Turkish
society holds that the Gülenists were behind the coup and that Gülen, who lives
in Pennsylvania, should be extradited to Turkey to face justice.
A group of
seventy prosecutors are working around the clock to build their case. They will
find out more about the coup plotters as the investigation continues. A number
of army officers and generals have already confessed to
being members of the Gülenist cult, and admitted to taking orders from
superiors in the Gülenist hierarchy.
The failed
coup’s aftermath also had major political implications. On that historic night,
ordinary citizens put aside their political differences to unite against the
putschists and placed their lives at risk to defend democracy.
Several thousand
innocent people were wounded, and some 240 lost their lives at the
hands of terrorists in uniform.
Every
political party in the country denounced the coup and voiced their support for
democracy. Over the following days, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with
main opposition leaders, who then attended the largest rally in the country’s
history. They sent a clear message to the world: Turkey is united and stronger
than ever.
Unfortunately,
Brussels seems to have missed out on the newfound spirit of solidarity. Some of
the first statements from EU leaders were ambiguous, leading to anger and even
conspiracy theories. Instead of unequivocally condemning the coup and
supporting the elected government’s efforts to bring the putschists to justice,
Europe chose to attack Turkey’s leaders for holding the would-be junta
accountable for their crimes.
People from
diverse political backgrounds agree that we must take all necessary steps to
prevent the Gülenists or any other group from infiltrating the country’s
bureaucracy. The removal of known Gülenists from state institutions isn’t very
different from the Einigungsvertrag process, in which about half a million
East German state employees were sacked or suspended during the German
reunification over their links to the old regime, but EU officials haven’t been
supportive of the Turkish effort.
Many Turks,
including advocates of EU membership, have been deeply disappointed in Brussels
— which appears to have forgotten that Europe cannot be safe if Turkey is
insecure.
Not a single
European head of state has visited Turkey since the failed putsch to express
solidarity. With the sole exception of Carl Bildt, who urged Europe to stand up for Turkish democracy, no public figure has even raised the
issue.
Some
observers even tried to distract attention from European inaction by treating
Erdoğan’s visit to St. Petersburg as some kind of message to Europe.
But even
if that claim was true, what is preventing European heads of state from
visiting the country to express their solidarity with the Turkish people, their
parliament, their president and their government?
The EU’s
reputation as an advocate of democracy, human rights and the rule of law is on
the line. By giving Turkey the cold shoulder, Brussels not only alienates a
major ally; it also betrays its values and principles.
Brussels
should reverse this course and show greater sympathy to the brave Turkish
people who stood up to tanks and F16s in their defense of democracy and
freedom. EU officials need to understand that the actions being taken against
the coup plotters are in proportion to the severity of events.
In addition
to visiting Turkey to show solidarity with its people and democratically
elected officials, European heads of state should cooperate and communicate
more closely with Turkish officials before making public statements that are
not always true. And they must do their homework and recognize the destruction
the Gülenists have caused.
Similarly,
the Turkey-EU migration deal, which has been a huge success story, must be
preserved, by allowing Turkish citizens to travel visa-free to the Schengen
zone.
Turkey has
been fighting against two prominent terrorist organizations, the Kurdistan
Worker’s Party (PKK) and the Islamic State (ISIL). After the Gülenists’ attempt
to overthrow the democratically-elected government, it is clear that it is now
facing a third one. It is neither realistic nor ethical to expect Turkey to
carry on this fight on its own. The country’s European and American allies
should come to its aid.
EU
membership remains a strategic goal for Turkey, but it takes two to tango.
Ibrahim Kalin is the spokesperson for
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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