Turkish intellectuals have welcomed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s courage in speaking out against prevailing fears of foreign nationals in Turkey, saying the prime minister has opened the way for the country to face its past, Today’s Zaman reported.
“Both President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have so far paid tribute to foreign nationals in Turkey during their visits abroad. Erdogan doing the same in the country has made all foreign nationals happy,” said the honorary head of the Jewish Community of Turkey, Bension Pinto.
On Saturday Erdogan slammed xenophobia in Turkey in response to criticism by opposition parties over efforts for the clearing of land mines located along Turkey’s borders.
“This mindset has seemingly not changed. It has been the same for many years in this country. They have chased members of different ethnicities out of this country. Have we won? This was the result of a fascist mentality,” Erdogan had said in a speech in the northwestern city of Duzce on Saturday, adding that his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had made similar mistakes in the past, as well. Can Paker, head of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), said Erdogan’s remarks confirmed that there is a suitable atmosphere in Turkey for discussing a wide variety of topics. “I find Erdogan’s approach quite correct. Turkey has so far not changed its political position regarding a number of topics. It was not courageous enough to face history. Erdogan’s remarks proved that many things can be discussed in Turkey,” he added.
