Parliamentary Assembly

It is a great pleasure for me to address you at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which has become the symbol for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. I extend my deepest gratitude for the kind invitation extended to me by President Agramunt.

In Europe we are going through a period in which we are facing problems that will affect our imminent, near and distant future. Therefore, any steps we take and anything we say in this period will affect multiple dynamics in the short and medium term. Whenever Turkey and the European Union have acted together with a vision for a common future, regional and global issues have been resolved more rapidly and the European Union has become more efficient in global politics.

Today is special, because I am the first Turkish Prime Minister to address you in Turkish. Turkish has become one of the working languages of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, so our language will be used as a working language in the Chamber and in committees of the Council of Europe. I thank all my friends who made that possible. The Turkish people are an inseparable part of Europe and Turkish is one of the oldest European languages.

“Turkey is an inseparable part of Europe”.

We have a saying in Turkish, which is, “Friends always tell the truth, no matter how painful it is.” Criticism is a mark of friendship and, since we are friends, we criticise each other and explicitly express right and wrong. I would like to talk about our global problems openly and with that understanding.

Five years ago, I addressed you in my capacity as a foreign minister and shared my views on the need to construct a common vision for the future of Europe. I still remember that day. I have reminisced with the Secretary General, Mr Jagland, that at that time the Arab Spring had just started and there was such excitement. We paid a visit to Tunisia, where we were taking responsibility for neighbourhood policies as head of the Committee of Ministers. We were well aware of the problems and risks and had some concerns. It is five years since then, so we now have to sit down and make an assessment.

I wish I could have made a speech with a more positive note today, following those five years. I wish I could say we are now living in a Europe that is stronger, more free and more prosperous, where extremism and xenophobia have been dealt with and where there is no discrimination on the grounds of religion, language, ethnicity or race, and people live in peace together, with all individuals and groups enjoying fundamental rights and freedoms, terrorism has been eradicated, and there is a fight against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The situation is worse today, and we see that discrimination and intolerance is rising in European societies. The ongoing repercussions and effects of the economic crisis, and some mass migration flows, unfortunately push Governments to seek remedies in strict and protectionist policies. This climate provides a conducive environment for xenophobia and racist tendencies. Muslims, migrants and Roma people unfortunately become the primary victims of discrimination. Some political tendencies that associate those groups with unemployment, poverty, crime and insecurity unfortunately find support in Europe. Such approaches damage the spirit of Europe and contrast with European values such as equality, democracy and the rule of law.

We have once again seen the magnitude of terrorism with the latest attacks in Paris, Istanbul, Ankara and Brussels. Turkey has always advocated that global measures should be taken against global issues, and global sensitivities must be applied. We are of the same opinion today. We believe that sensitivity to and reaction to terrorist attacks in Europe are very important and valuable, but we expect to see the same sensitivity and reaction to terror attacks in Turkey. No justification can legitimise different approaches to terrorist acts. If we think there should be a common reaction against terrorism, we should not discriminate between people who lose their lives as a result of terrorist attacks on the grounds of political tendencies, cultures, sects or religions. This is not rhetoric: it is the stance that is required by European values and the prospect of a common future. In this framework, we have to act in unison in the face of the threat of terrorism.

There are still loopholes in Europe’s legal area, and some of our demands have not had a response. For example, we have not had any significant progress in the European Union joining the European Convention on Human Rights. We see that Europe cannot overcome crises such as Crimea, Nagorno-Karabakh, Southern Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria. These remain the fault lines in Europe, and Turkey feels the effect of the deep crises in a couple of countries on its borders. Turkey therefore attaches great importance to the resolution of these crises within the framework of international law.

Today, Europe faces the biggest mass migration flow in its history. According to UNHCR data, in the world today 230 million people are migrants, and 70 million of them have refugee status. Those data unfortunately put Europe and the rest of the world to a new test. I am proud to say that Turkey hosts the highest number of refugees in the world. Syrians are coming to provinces like Kilis and settling there, and we have seen no protests against refugees, Arabs or Syrians. That is a humane stance that we can be proud of. Extending a helping hand to people who are escaping from a crisis is a common responsibility for all mankind. It is both a moral and political responsibility. Globalisation has a hold in every walk of life and we have to legitimise and globalise justice and freedom: otherwise, we cannot talk about justice, freedom or security anywhere in the world.

Throughout the six years of crisis in Syria, Turkey has adopted an open-door policy as a result of its humane and moral responsibilities. I have repeated this on many other platforms. Our door is open to these people, our country is open to these people and, more importantly, our hearts are open to these people and will remain so. We will take this approach in future, too. According to United Nations data, Turkey has the highest number of refugees in the world. At the moment, we are hosting 2.7 million Syrian brothers and sisters, and almost 300 000 Iraqi and other nationals. We have not seen any inkling of alienation or xenophobia in those years, and that is why I reiterate that I am proud of my people. I extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the 78 million Turkish citizens.

I find it strange that there is some maltreatment of Syrian refugees and migrants in Europe, although they are few in number. Some 270 000 Syrian brothers and sisters are staying in camps in Turkey. Their food, education and health requirements are met by our government. Those staying outside camps have temporary protection status, and their health and education requirements are also met by the government – free of charge to them. We all have to be aware of the risk of a lost generation. We have to think about our moral responsibility, the political dimension and the possible problems inherited by future generations. In the last four and a half years, 152 000 Syrian babies were born in Turkey. They have only ever lived in Turkey and have never seen their own country. We give priority to the education of Syrian children in Turkey and provide education opportunities to 78 707 children in shelters in our country. The schooling rate is 90%. We also provide education to 200 000 Syrian children outside shelters, which corresponds to a schooling rate of 35% but, unfortunately, the remaining 400 000 children have no access to education. We urgently need new schools, classrooms and teachers.

To date, we have spent more than $10 billion on refugees staying in camps, and the figure we have spent for all Syrians is much higher than that. However, the international contribution we received is not even $0.5 billion. Unfortunately, our friends have not assumed their responsibility in burden-sharing but I reiterate that I am not here talking about this just to be appreciated for what we have done for our Syrian brothers and sisters. I am just trying to attract attention to the magnitude and severity of the problem.

Irregular migration is another common challenge. We have taken many measures to fight against irregular migration and human smuggling. Since January 2015 alone, Turkish coastal guard boats have rescued 92 000 migrants in the Aegean. As a result of all those efforts, we managed to decrease the number of irregular migrants crossing the Aegean to 2 000 from 6 800 in 2015. In March 2016, that number went down to 860. For the first half of April, the figure is 327. However, it is obvious that Turkey’s efforts alone will not suffice to save people or to prevent scenes like that of baby Alan, who washed ashore off the Aegean.

My counterpart, the Chancellor of Germany, Ms Merkel, and I have taken some joint initiatives to support the international efforts. Displaced people need your support, especially within the context of migration. Member States should fulfil their obligations stemming from the Convention and other international instruments. You must remind those member States of their obligations. This is a political and human responsibility.

As you know, we have a deal with the European Union to fight against irregular migration flaws, and I have had the chance to meet Mr Juncker today. The deal has three main objectives: the prevention of casualties in the Aegean; to break the human smuggling network; and to convert irregular migration into legal migration through resettlement programmes. We enforced the deal as of 4 April, with the one-for-one formula. As of 4 April, we have started readmitting the irregular migrants crossing the Greek islands. On the same day, on the basis of the one-for-one formula, we started sending Syrians to Europe. With the deal, the average number of crossings has decreased from 6 800 a day to 60 a week. That is a huge achievement.

The issue of irregular migration has once again shown that Turkey and the European Union cannot be thought of separately. It goes without saying that Turkey-European Union relations do not only consist of common problems; the relationship has to be seen as one of strategic integrity based on history and common values. Our negotiation process started in October 2005 and is the driving force of our relations with the European Union. I reiterate that once again on this platform. If we can enforce the deal efficiently, we will achieve significant success in the Aegean in preventing irregular migration and, more importantly, we will be able to save lives, but that is not enough for a permanent solution.

First, we have to resolve the root causes of the conflict. Although this is the sixth year of the crisis in Syria, the international community is far from taking measures against mass migration flows and finding a remedy for millions of people escaping violence and persecution. To prevent mass migration waves, we must find solutions to enable those people to go back to their countries. Syria has become the centre for Daesh terrorism and radicalism, and there is an oppressive regime there. Therefore, we have always advocated a safe zone in Syria. Our main national security objective is to be neighbours with a Syria that is stable and prosperous, and that has territorial integrity. To fight against Daesh, we have to end the conflict in Syria. A new constitution and fair, free elections should take in place in Syria so that there can be a political transition there. However, as long as the Assad regime is there, that is not possible.

Turkey has been advocating the political solution in Syria in line with the Geneva declaration. From the very first day, Turkey has always been supportive of the Geneva process. In a consistent manner, we have tried to include Syrian opposition in the political process. On the other hand, regime supporters continue to hit the opposition and civilians. Despite the promises made to the Syrian opposition, the regime puts the Syrians under siege and causes them to starve. We must stop that. It is our responsibility as mankind. The international community should impose pressure on countries that have an impact on the regime, and the regime must be convinced about the need for a political process. The concrete result of the political process is the only way to eradicate Daesh in Syria. However, supporting another terrorist organisation – PYD – against Daesh is not a solution to the problem. It will only legitimise and promulgate terrorism. I remind our European friends that PKK and PYD are benefiting from the same instruments, methods and ideology, and they are two terrorist organisations that ignore human values just like Daesh.

On the other hand, there is internal strife and a socio-economic crisis in Iraq, and sectarianism is the main problem there. For sustainable peace and stability in Iraq, we must win back the people who are crushed under sectarian policies. We should have a global perspective to all the problems. The European Union-Turkey relationship is not the only option to solve these problems, but it is an obligation. As I stated at the outset of my speech, we must have a common stance and attitude against terrorism, otherwise we cannot end the atmosphere of fear and anxiety.

For Turkey, the international fight against terrorism has never been an issue of mere rhetoric or academic interest. Turkey has been fighting against many aspects of terrorism, whether it is the PKK, Daesh, the KPC or al-Qaeda. One of the most important lessons we have learnt in our fight against terrorism is that you cannot overcome terrorism without international co-operation. The mechanism of the Council of Europe is a top platform in the fight against terrorism. We have some indispensable principles in our fight. First, terrorism is a threat against international peace and security. Regardless of what its motives may be, and where or by whom it may be carried out, no terrorist activity may be legitimised. Secondly, we must enhance our international co-operation based on the principle of “repatriate or try”. In addition to that, it is absolutely wrong to base terrorism on the principles of religion. Terrorism and Islam should not be seen as the same principle.

Terrorism and terrorist organisations are becoming international. They now have much bigger capacities and use social media to pass on their rhetoric to young people, encouraging more young people towards violence. Turkey welcomes the work of the Council of Europe in that area and continues to support the activities of the Council of Europe. There are almost no days on which we have no acts of terrorism. Turkey is doing its utmost to solve this problem. Turkey is an active member of the global coalition against Daesh. It is also the co-chair of the working group on foreign terrorist fighters. So far, Turkey has been able to deport 3 200 people who planned to travel to Syria or Iraq, and risk analysis groups have prevented the entry of more than 2 000 people into our country. On 22 November 2015, the additional protocol on the prevention of terrorism was open for signatures. We were one of the first countries to sign up to the protocol and we aim to ratify it very soon. We hope that all member States will sign and ratify the additional protocol to exhibit their common determination to fight against terrorism.

Terrorism is terrorism. One cannot talk about the religion, culture, nationality or identity of terrorism. We can succeed against terrorism only if we adopt this rigid perspective. We cannot work on the reflexes we used to have during the Cold War. We cannot say “There are my terrorists and your terrorists and other terrorists.” No, we cannot do that. The suicide bomb attacks in Ankara in February and in March were carried out by PKK members who were trained in YPG camps in Syria. We see these bombings as identical to the bombings in Paris and Brussels. These organisations take aim at young people, old people and innocent people: they used a suicide bomber to kill innocent people. We do not see how this terrorism is any different from the terrorism of Daesh. Let me repeat: terrorism is terrorism. Regardless of who carries out acts of terrorism, we must fight against terrorism by working in solidarity, otherwise we cannot succeed.

We know exactly who the perpetrators of these crimes are and the documents that prove it have been shared with the rest of the world. Any effort to legitimise the PKK is identical to the effort to legitimise Daesh. There are campaigns in Europe to raise funds and supply arms for some of these organisations. Under these circumstances, one cannot talk about solidarity against terrorism. We are worried about terrorist activity in all parts of Europe. Some of these organisations dig trenches, build road blocks and kill civilians. The PKK is engaged in ruthless murder in Turkey. Unfortunately, the PKK is treated as a legitimate actor in certain European cities. Even in this Organisation, which puts to the fore democracy and human rights, we have witnessed attempts to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations. Tolerating such organisations goes against the principles and collective social conscience of Europe. Terrorism does not call for any exceptions, ratings or qualifications. The fact that a terrorist organisation is fighting against another terrorist organisation does not justify the activities of that terrorist organisation. Nothing can justify terrorism. Justifying terrorism violates all the principles of Europe and the European Union. The Council of Europe should perhaps consider creating a platform to fight against all forms of racism and xenophobia.

Ladies and gentlemen, the crises in Europe have not been solved yet. In the past two years, following the occupation and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, human rights violations have been ongoing. Mustapha Qirimoglu and Refat Chubarov are the leaders of the Crimean Tatars. They are not allowed to enter Crimea. The Deputy President of the Crimean Tatar Assembly, Akthem Chiygoz, has been arrested illegally. He has been kept behind bars without trial for over a year. More than 20 000 Crimean Tatars have had to leave their country because of the illegal annexation. The issue of Crimea and the Crimean Tatars needs to be kept on the international agenda. It is important that we speak out on behalf of the Crimean Tatars. International organisations and human rights organisations should work to ensure access to Crimea. We appreciate the sensitive approach towards Crimean Tatars adopted by the Council of Europe and we put a lot of emphasis on the work of the Parliamentary Assembly. We welcome Secretary General Jagland’s efforts to send a delegation to Crimea. On the initiative of the Secretary General, a report was prepared. Although the report has certain weaknesses, it has once more reaffirmed the violations of human rights on the peninsula.

There have been serious attacks on Azerbaijan. We are worried about the cease-fire violations in that region. The attacks and violations have led to the loss of life of both soldiers and civilians. The escalation of violence has once again shown that the status quo in the upper Karabakh region can no longer be maintained. The cease-fire violations have extended to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. It is important that the international community and the co-chairs of the Minsk Group warn Armenia about its actions. It is important that we find ways to overcome the occupation of Azeri land.

The conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia need to be solved, taking into consideration the internationally acknowledged borders of Georgia. We continue to focus on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the players in the region. It is very important that we establish peace in this region. As the result of decisions taken in 1999, Georgia made commitments to the Ahiska Turks. Those commitments must be fulfilled. We hope that the Geneva negotiations will continue the success they have had in the past. Georgia made commitments in 1999 to repatriate the Ahiska Turks. We are following developments and hope the repatriation of these people will be a priority in the Council of Europe’s Georgia action plan. I express again the fact that Turkey is more than willing to give its full support to that objective.

Developments in the eastern Mediterranean have shown once more that we must find a solution to the situation in Cyprus. We need to take into consideration the interests of the two peoples on the island. It is important that we continue to support finding a just, comprehensive and permanent political solution. We give our full support to the constructive efforts of the leaders on the island. We hope that the process in 2016 will help all parties to exhibit their sincere willingness to find a solution. The negotiations and a solution to the Cyprus problem will be an important step in establishing peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean region. Finding a solution to the Cyprus issue is also in the interests of the Council of Europe.

The future of Europe will be determined by our response to the tests that Europe faces. These challenges test our basic values. We need to return to the basic values that brought us together under this roof 67 years ago. We have overcome wars based on religion. We have overcome world wars. We have been able to create a consensus, and I am sure that we will work together once more to create a just and democratic solution.

I believe that the Council of Europe has a very important mission. The Council of Europe generates standards that are common to the European legal arena. What is more, the Council of Europe also uses these standards to establish best practice in member States. We feel that this creates significant potential to increase the efficiency of international organisations. We would like to see an improvement of the efficiency of the Council of Europe. Let me reiterate the fact that Turkey continues to support the reform activities started by the Secretary General and the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR). Our most important objective is to ensure that the Council of Europe once more establishes its central importance in Europe.

As a result of its increased importance in international relations, Turkey has strengthened its participation in the Council of Europe. Turkey has increased its contribution to the Council of Europe’s budget by €20 million. It now contributes €33 million and has become one of the biggest payers. We have increased the number of members in certain committees and Turkish has become a working language. Our main objective is to strengthen the Council of Europe’s political role. To do that, we will continue to offer our support to the Council of Europe, and we believe that the Council of Europe’s importance in Europe’s democratic processes will also be strengthened.

We believe that the Secretary General has made a wonderful proposal to organise a new summit meeting. I am glad that the Parliamentary Assembly agrees with that proposal. We also support the proposal to take up issues of democracy and security at that meeting. It is important to strengthen democratic security. Turkey supports all such international initiatives and hosts international initiatives to that end. In this critical period when we face many humanitarian crises, Istanbul has organised a world humanitarian summit, which will be held on 23 and 24 May 2016. We hope to see many participants at that summit.

Turkey has proven that it believes in the rule of law and human rights. These principles form the basis of peace and welfare around the world. I like to re-emphasise the fact that Turkey is committed to these principles and to these shared values. In the past 15 years, Turkey has implemented many reforms on human rights and democratisation. We now have more comprehensive constitutional rights. We now have better mechanisms to protect these rights. The Constitutional Court now allows individual applications. We have reform packages that strengthen basic rights and freedoms. Political parties now have more ways to organise at local level. Turkey’s citizens also now have more cultural rights as part of that reform process. The 1 November elections are an excellent example: 85% of the population voted and the AKP party, which I represent, came to power with 49% of the vote. I am very proud of these developments. Participation in those elections was much higher than in those in other European countries.

Right after the elections, we prepared a new government programme that focused on reforms. We have a new mechanism at the level of the deputy prime minister to co-ordinate the reforms, which are now subject to a strict schedule. We have created national legislation to protect personal data. We now ensure that personal data are protected under the strictest standards. We now have a council to ensure the data protection of individuals. We have just passed a law on human rights and equality. We now have a more comprehensive definition of discrimination that includes ethnic origin. As part of the reform process, we will soon start our work on drafting a new law on political parties.

The main objective of our political reforms is to ensure that Turkey has a new democratic and liberal constitution. In the 1980s, Turkey was subject to a constitution that was the result of a coup. We will now have a modern civil constitution – a constitution of the kind that Turkey very much deserves. As a result of the new constitution, Turkey will strengthen its position in the international area. Likewise, we are accelerating the ratification process of some Council of Europe documents. Today, Mr Çavusoglu signed an additional protocol that criminalises racist and xenophobic acts on computer systems.

These reforms are being carried out in Turkey despite the threat of terrorism, despite the conflicts in the region and despite the fact that Turkey is faced with severe tests as a result of the increasing number of refugees in our country. These reforms are based on the legitimate expectations of our citizens, and we see the Council of Europe as our main partner in our reform activities. We have an action plan that ensures the implementation of these reforms, which overlap with our visa liberalisation dialogue with the European Union. As in the past, our guiding light is the work and mechanism of the Council of Europe, as well as the jurisprudence of European Court of Human Rights.

Five years ago, when I was speaking at another Parliamentary Assembly meeting, I emphasised the fact that we needed to establish a joint vision for Europe. Let me re-emphasise the fact that Europe should be free of xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and economic instability. We must ensure that we refocus on being European, and we must refocus on European values. The Council of Europe is the ideal platform to fulfil this important mission, so we must all work together under this roof. We all have responsibilities that we need to carry out. If we fulfil our responsibilities and if we forget about our prejudices and try to achieve better aims, our children and grandchildren will think very highly of us. I think that this is a joint aim for us all.

I thank you and send my best wishes to the parliaments that you represent, and I wish you success in your work. Thank you.