“This mindset has seemingly not changed. It has been the same for many years in this country. They have chased members of various ethnicities out of this country. Have we won? This was a result of a fascist mentality,” Erdoğan said at a speech in the northwestern city of Düzce on Saturday, adding that his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had made similar mistakes in the past, as well. Erdoğan's remarks came as a response to harsh criticism by opposition parties, which have argued that Turkey would be in danger if foreign companies were awarded tenders to demine Turkey's borders and were met with praise and appreciation for showing the courage to make such self-criticism. Discussing the content of Erdoğan's remarks, Star's Mustafa Karaalioğlu says Erdoğan's statement exhibits self-confidence, courage and respect for this country's judiciary, noting that the value of Turkey in the family of nations in the world will increase thanks to such brave self-criticism. He says these words, which were possibly not included in Erdoğan's written speech, show the democratic maturity of the prime minister's mentality and are hence more important. “Turkey will not lose anything, for its prime minister made such a statement to the contrary; it will gain a lot. Turkey will not be divided because it is discussing its taboos. To the contrary, it will become stronger. Getting rid of their fears will bring relief to the people of this country,” contends Karaalioğlu. In his view, a prime minister who shows such a reaction to discrimination against minorities has the potential to increase the legal and democratic standards of the country in all fields. “Respect for minority rights and confronting their pain also signify a hope for the formation of an ‘us' mentality among the people of this country. Yes, we cannot come together to solve our shared problems and we cannot reach a consensus on the course of events in our shared past, and hence decide on our future. But at least someone has come up from among us and speaks by taking a risk. This is good. Had this not been the case, would we be able to launch membership negotiations with the EU?” adds Karaalioğlu.
It is really hard to believe how a statement can be so surprising, says Yeni Şafak's Kürşat Bumin over Erdoğan's remarks, claming that the statement has made Turkish democracy gain an “ethical” dimension which was hard to imagine until yesterday. “Erdoğan's statement has placed the bar very high at an unexpected time. Acting on Erdoğan's remarks, can we say that Turkey's politicians will no longer lag behind? I think it is necessary to think about this. It will be good for everyone to ponder Erdoğan's remarks. Is it not time for an excluding, discriminating state philosophy which is a fan of itself to be a thing of the past in Turkey?” asks Bumin.
Radikal's Murat Yetkin thinks Erdoğan's inclusion of his own party among the list of those who discriminated against minorities shows Erdoğan's sincerity about his statements.
