Turgut
Özal
Prime Minister of Turkey
Speech made to the Assembly
Wednesday, 27 September 1989
Mr President, distinguished members of the Assembly, Madam Secretary General, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour and indeed a pleasure for me to be with you today in Strasbourg. I wish to express my sincere thanks to you for giving me this opportunity at a time which will be recorded as another important milestone in the history of the Council of Europe.
It is indeed an important turn, for I am able to greet from this august rostrum the representatives of three East European countries and Yugoslavia, with special guest status, together with the representatives of all the twenty-three parliamentary democracies in Europe. In other words, at its 40th anniversary, the Council of Europe has covered a significant distance which I hope will one day pave the way to the creation of the common European home of democracy.
The second half of the twentieth century has been a period of preservation of peace, development of democratic institutions and greater cooperation among countries. In this period, with the unprecedented technological advances, new horizons were opened to mankind. Man started to explore and unveil the mysteries of space and left his indelible footprints on the moon. But the spotlight remained on man himself. A new perception and sensitivity emerged and the noble cause of the protection of human rights assumed a prominent place in our souls. Although documents relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms date back to earlier times and found their definition and expression during the French Revolution, the dissemination and promotion of these ideals in the real sense have taken place during the past forty years. The Council of Europe, with its tireless efforts, has been the flagbearer of this noble struggle. Its deliberations, its struggles and its accomplishments are our common heritage and are a source of pride for us all.
Turkey, being one of the founding members of the Council of Europe, has taken part in all its activities. She has always cherished the ideals and principles that gave birth to the Council of Europe. Indeed, this membership has been a beacon, a further stimulus to our devotion to liberty, pluralist democracy, the rule of law and dignity of the human being, as well as to our attitudes towards the shaping of the Europe of the coming century. ,
Throughout the ages, a geostrategic location has bestowed upon Turkey the role of a bridge between the Orient and the Occident, a role which she duly fulfilled and will continue to fulfil. The Anatolian peninsula has been a bridge for conquerers and their armies, or for traders and their caravans, and has served also as a bridge for new ideas, cultures, civilisations and religions. The unique location of Turkey has enabled her to come into close contact with both Western and Eastern civilisations, and continuous interaction followed. Thus, while the Turks have benefited from and been influenced by Europe in the cultural, social and economic fields, we on our part have contributed to and participated in the shaping of Europe.
Turkey’s occidental vocation and its co-operation with the West is nothing new. She has been inspired by Western civilisation and from time to time has influenced it in return. I believe that another characteristic is the constructive cooperation in every field that the Turkish nation has established with the West. We have been present in Western institutions for over forty-five years. We have played an active and constructive role and have contributed to these institutions to which we are loyally attached. Turkey throughout history has been a point of convergence of Eastern and Western cultures. We have always taken special care that this convergence forms a synthesis rather than being a source of confrontation. Today, Turkey stands as an element of stability in an explosive part of our world.
In our view, the notion of the West is less relevant to geographic limitation than to an expression of a way of life based on freedom, democratic liberties and respect for human rights. It is this way of life which deep down unites us. Turkey, with its different yet rich culture contributes to the enrichment of the Western culture and provides an opening from the West to the East, and from the East to the West. Today, our geostrategic location, while conferring upon us greater tasks in more ways than one, provides us with more opportunities than ever before. The Turkish nation’s present lifestyle and its democratic political system is the result of its own free choice and not merely a pretence. Turkey, today, is at the same time a centre of economic dynamism. The liberal and free market policies which we have adopted during the past few years have brought about great changes – in fact, transformations – in our economy and infrastructure as well as in our urbanisation.
In these days, economic and social affluence should go hand in hand with democracy as we know it today. Democracy is not a static concept. One needs only to remember how democratic norms were when the advanced economies of today passed from an agricultural society to an industrial one. Human rights were not the human rights of today during the industrialisation of the West. Concern for the environment is also a relatively new phenomenon, but newly industrialising countries nowadays are duty-bound to respect all the modern norms and take into consideration all the modern concerns.
That is why it is more difficult and costlier to achieve development and industrialisation under a democratic system. That is why the
West should be mindful of these considerations when it points the finger at those who face this challenge.
The process of westernisation in Turkey, which I would rather call the Western vocation of the Turkish people, started in earnest and gained momentum in the nineteenth century, culminating in the proclamation of the republic, founded on the principles of Kemal Atatürk, more than sixty years ago. The point of no return was then reached. Thanks to the reforms of Atatürk, the social and political structure of Turkey developed rapidly to encompass the Western values while preserving its own rich heritage. These reforms constitute the foundations of a pluralistic democracy which is now regarded as the irreversible and indispensable feature of Turkish political life.
It is as far back as twenty-six years ago that Turkey entered into relations of association with the Common Market. Then, on 14 April 1987, my Government applied for full membership to the European Community. We have made this application as a natural consequence of this unique and special relationship which has Turkey’s full membership as a final objective. We have made this application as a natural result of the national consensus built around the goals and aspirations of the Treaty of Rome aiming at a fully integrated Europe. We have made this application because we have full confidence in our economic performance and capability. And, finally, we have made this application because we think it right that Turkey should take her place in the enlarged European Community.
We see it as our right to expect that the doors of the European Community will be opened to us by our partners and allies with whom we have shared the same values, ideals and a common destiny for almost half a century, with whom we strove so hard and selflessly to preserve peace and to defend our freedom and our territorial integrity. In this regard, Turkey has shouldered more than her share. I believe that Turkey’s application for full membership of the European Community is a fair and legitimate request and I trust that you, distinguished parliamentarians, will lend your support to the realisation of that goal.
Today, the wind of change is blowing in the direction of global democratisation and greater freedom. We follow closely and welcome the developments taking place in Eastern Europe. Those changes have the potential to bring an altogether new look to Europe – indeed, to the entire world. This outcome is the triumph of everything that we, as free Europe, stand for – democracy, respect for human rights and liberal economic policies. Certainly, our solidarity and perseverance have played an important role as much as the strength of our choice in reaching this point. But times of change are also times of uncertainty and unpredictability. That is why we should perhaps be more vigilant and more visionary in our attitudes and actions than ever before. We should also keep in mind that the continuation of this favourable atmosphere largely depends on our will and ability to maintain our solidarity. We appreciate the courageous reforms set in motion by President Gorbachev. His success will benefit first and foremost his own nation and then the whole world. We see his reforms as a development worthy of encouragement and support. I read carefully the speech Mr Gorbachev delivered here on 6 July. It is an important change and development in itself that the young president of a regime that denied for years the existence of Western establishments such as our Council of Europe should come and deliver a speech before this very Assembly. This change and President Gorbachev’s speech are certainly very welcome. I also regard it an enjoyable duty to applaud together with you the similar changes taking place at a faster pace in Poland. Developments in Hungary are also praiseworthy.
It should be borne in mind that the “common European home”, mentioned many times by Mr Gorbachev, could only be a democratic house based on pluralism. However, we cannot have a common house by just having a juxtaposition of different rooms. We should all be able to move freely from one room to another. For that to be achieved we have to start by strolling in the same garden. In this context, one should recall Abraham Lincoln’s saying: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
In other words, the members of the common house should share common ideals and values. They should be able to communicate with each other so that disputes are resolved by peaceful means. They should all have common aspirations and objectives for the future of Europe. This is why the architecture and the interior design of this “house” will need meticulous and persistent efforts and imagination by all.
We have never contemplated imposing our democratic system on others. We shall not do so in the future. We merely try to set an example.
There is no doubt that we should be happy to see among us those who would take our example and live up to its rules.
The importance Turkey attaches to détente in Europe has been one of the main features of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey is an active participant in the CSCE process, adhering to the principles laid down in the Helsinki Final Act and the concluding documents of the Madrid and Vienna follow-up meetings in their entirety. Turkey has always maintained that we should never sacrifice or neglect the importance of one dimension of the CSCE in exchange for possible progress in other dimensions.
The last few years have also been years of new vigour and dynamism in the sphere of arms control. The Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has signalled the advent of a new era in East-West relations. Progress has been made in START and the basic outline of a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty has been emerging. The Stockholm document put into implementation new and important confidence-and security-building measures. New ground has been covered towards re-establishing support for the 1925 Protocol banning the use of chemical weapons and achieving a global, comprehensive and verifiable ban on the production and possession of these weapons. The proposals for chemical weapons made this week by the United States and the Soviet Union are very encouraging.
Finally, negotiations aimed at eliminating the huge imbalance in conventional armed forces in Europe have begun in Vienna. We also consider the unilateral reductions in conventional arms introduced by the Soviet Union as steps in the right direction and take them as a further confirmation of the great imbalance between the conventional forces of the two alliances. However, this is not a list of tasks completed but rather a list of new challenges. This is a long and arduous road that we should cover together with courage and determination.
In this respect, the concluding document of the Vienna follow-up meeting broke new ground in East-West relations. The document established new standards of behaviour in human rights and institutionalised it with the introduction of the mechanism pertaining to the human dimension of the CSCE.
The worst enemies of security are not weapons but the suppression of human rights, fundamental freedoms and political pluralism.
Given that very fact, we have always emphasised the importance of the human dimension in East-West relations. We are of the opinion that genuine peace in Europe cannot be established without respect by all for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal. They are indivisible, interdependent and inalienable. Mankind has made a big qualitative jump in this area. Human rights questions today transcend national boundaries. They can no longer be considered as matters that fall solely within the domestic jurisdiction of countries and must be dealt with universally.
When I visit the European Court of Human Rights this afternoon, I shall convey to it the decision of my Government to recognise the competence of that court.
I am confident that we shall share the view that strict adherence to the internationally accepted norms of conduct concerning respect for human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the individual is the only basis upon which we can build and further promote stable international relations. No country can exempt itself from this basic standard; nor can the international community choose to look the other way when serious crimes against humanity are being committed in any one country.
After all, inter-state activity does not take place for its own sake but for the purpose, inter alia, of promoting human dignity, happiness and prosperity. Indeed, we should be failing in our duty if we disregarded or remained indifferent to our responsibilities in this area. It is this fundamental concern for the human element that compels me to bring to your kind attention the plight of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, whose continuing tragedy is a source of deep concern for the Turkish nation, and, I trust, for your countries as well. I am confident that you are all aware of the unacceptable nature of the Bulgarian policy of repression and forced assimilation of ethnic Turks, and Turkey’s genuine and relentless efforts to stop this colossal violation of human rights through dialogue. Bulgarian practices started with the imposing of Slavic names on ethnic Turks and went as far as killing those who staged peaceful resistance. They included denial of religious freedom and practice.
We have time and again requested Bulgaria to agree to meaningful talks in order to secure respect for the rights of the Turkish minority and to negotiate a comprehensive agreement on emigration. We have, furthermore, explicitly stated our willingness to receive all the ethnic Turks who wish to come to Turkey according to the provisions of an emigration agreement. Even in the absence of such an agreement, we welcomed, within a period of only two and a half months, over 310 000 of our kinsmen who have either fled to Turkey to escape further persecution or been forcibly driven across the border. Thus, tens of thousands of newly divided families have been created. The world has not witnessed an exodus of such magnitude in so short a time since the second world war.
The Bulgarian Government today continues to commit a major crime against humanity. It is imperative that this anachronistic mentality is not permitted to prevail. This question is not simply a bilateral problem between Turkey and Bulgaria, but an issue of principle between Bulgaria and the entire community of civilised nations. As I stand before you in this eminent institution where the conscience of Europe finds its ultimate expression, I call upon you to do your utmost to help compel the Government of Bulgaria to desist from its present inhuman practices and to remind them that such atrocities in our day can in no circumstances be tolerated.
For, if these actions are condoned, have no doubt that others will be tempted to commit even graver violations. If we withhold our voice today, we shall do no credit to the principles and values that we have held so dear for forty years. It was not out of choice that I had to present to you such an agonising picture at a meeting where I put on record the positive developments of our day and share with you the hopes that we hold for the future. But the reality is there – and it is certainly painful. It will honour no one to evade it.
International terrorism, unfortunately, continues to be a threat to the pluralist democratic system, human rights and fundamental freedoms. We also believe in the equal importance and inseparability of fundamental rights. However, one of them, the right to life, in its essence should have priority over others. Terrorism violates that most fundamental of human rights. Yesterday, terrorism claimed yet another precious life, this time in Greece. The New Democracy Party spokesman, our fellow deputy, Mr Paul Bakogiannis, was gunned down in broad daylight. We share the profound sorrow of his family and the Greek people.
Turkey has always unreservedly condemned as criminal all acts, methods and practices of terrorism regardless of their origins, causes and purposes and believes that terrorism cannot be justified in any circumstances.
In this context, I should like to mention that attempts to differentiate between various forms of terrorism will only encourage the perpetrators of these acts of violence. The special dangers posed by tolerance and support of terrorism need no lengthy explanation. Experience has sufficiently established that tolerance and support of terrorism are a double-edged sword, and those who engage in such activities have always had reasons to regret their short-sighted policy in the end. Turkey remains attached to a policy of firmness against terrorism. We believe that concessions of any nature to accommodate terrorist demands only breed more terrorism. The Turkish Government, as in the past, continues to support unreservedly all efforts to increase international co-operation to combat terrorism.
Our planet is about to enter the twenty-first century. It is our sincere wish that this will be a century of peace. It is also our desire and aim to see that the geographical boundaries of the democratic regimes and human rights based on individual liberties shall further be expanded in this coming century. The technological advancements during the last thirty years are opening up broader horizons for the twenty-first century. Outer space, whose mysteries and frontiers are already under exploration, will become an even more hotly contested area. We hope that this contest will be peaceful. It is a worthwhile effort to allocate the vast opportunities that space is offering to the use of all mankind. In the same spirit, the next century will also address the issue of making available the sub-soil resources of the oceans. We in Turkey are preparing ourselves for the twenty-first century by undertaking major projects. The richness of our resources, the determination of our nation and the speed and the magnitude of the advances we have made are all indications that Turkey will have an important place in the western hemisphere in the next century. We have full confidence in our future.
Indeed, to give you an example, Turkey has rich water resources, and our present ability to transform those resources into an economic driving force shows the vastness of our potential. The south-eastern Anatolian project that we are implementing now in an area covering 75 000 square kilometres has already attracted the attention of the world. With this project, entailing the construction of twenty-two dams, 27 thousand million kw/h electricity will be generated and an area of 1,6 million hectares will be irrigated. The cost of this Turkish-designed project is estimated to be between 18 and 20 thousand million dollars, and is financed through national means. However, it has the potential of benefiting other countries of the region as well. .
In this respect, before I mention an imaginative project that is under consideration, I should like to take you back a few decades to the aftermath of the second world war. If the democracies of Europe are united today, it is because their visionary leaders then saw our future in close co-operation. It is because they were wise enough not to repeat the mistakes of the past. They knew very well that the interests of the individual countries had also to be united. They started with the infrastructure. Robert Schuman’s ideas led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the precursor of the European Community in later years.
Our idea is to offer unused water from Turkey’s principal rivers to the arid regions of the Middle East. This is our “Peace Pipeline Project”, a water pipeline that would cross and benefit the countries of the region. It is a far-reaching plan, because water will be the most needed commodity there in the coming century. The countries of the Middle East can unite their interests through such projects of infrastructure and may follow the example that we have set in Europe.
The Turkish people and the Turkish Government want not only rights but welfare, in the true sense of the word, to be made available to all mankind. We look forward to a new century in which no one will starve. We aspire to a new world where all wars are ended, where defence expenditures are reduced and what is saved is put at the disposal of economic development to improve the quality of life. It is our common duty to preserve a clean environment in a world in which we hope welfare, industrialisation and technology will be commonplace.
Environment is an issue that deserves a few more sentences, since it has to do not only with the heritage that mankind will pass on to future generations but with whether mankind itself will survive on the Earth. Worrisome and even alarming situations have already begun to appear. We in Turkey have our share of environmental problems which cause us concern. But, lately, my country has also been harmed by toxic waste originating from other countries. This is difficult to imagine and to accept in our modern world. On account of the pollution problems facing Turkey, we are taking effective measures to combat them. We are, for instance, in the process of initiating a major project on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in order to preserve it as a clean spot for people to enjoy. Such projects aimed at preserving our common possessions also require your support and contributions. We are pleased that there is a greater awareness today of the great dangers that threaten the ecological balance of our planet. Turkey is eager and ready to co-operate in global and regional efforts to preserve this balance and save our future.
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of its foundation, the Council of Europe has major tasks lying ahead. The task of turning “greater Europe” into a “common European home of democracy” is a challenge for us all. The task of carrying democratic liberties with the help of the force of our example and success to other regions of the world also lies ahead of us. Similarly, the noble duty to carry human rights to every single corner of the world without any discrimination awaits us. We are confronted with the task of disproving those who believe that Europe has aged and is bound to be left behind. In other words, wider horizons are bringing about greater challenges. The mission of the Council of Europe has thus gained a new and wider dimension. We shall carry that mission to new heights, hand in hand. To be able to give today’s children a future full of hope and happiness is the most sacred of these tasks.
With these thoughts, I wish you every success in your future work and your noble tasks.
I thank you all.