Gül told Parliament not to fear diversity in the nation, as the development of respect for differences will serve to strengthen Turkey as a nation. Another striking aspect of Thursday's gathering was the attendance of military commanders at the session, ending a long-standing boycott over the presence of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputies in Parliament. The generals originally ended their boycott earlier this year when they attended a session at which visiting US President Barack Obama delivered a speech; however, there were doubts about whether they would resume their boycott during the new legislative year. Their presence on Thursday confirmed that the boycott has ended. Newspaper columns yesterday were full of observations about the first day of the new legislative year, which is expected to be full of challenges. Zaman's Mustafa Ünal says it would not have been very appropriate for the generals not to attend the inaugural session of the legislative year and their move would have attracted severe criticism as they previously came to Parliament to listen to Obama. “It is unthinkable for the military to remain indifferent to the speech of the president, who also has the title of ‘military chief.' This would neither comply with the state traditions nor with protocol rules,” Ünal says, adding that the military commanders' attendance on Thursday implies that relations between Parliament and the military have returned to their normal course. Regarding Gül's speech, Ünal says it was succinct but his messages were clear. “He did not only speak to the deputies, but also to the entire nation. His most striking message was his emphasis on the state and the law as he said: ‘No one can go beyond the law under the pretense of protecting the state or the regime. Turning to unlawful methods under the pretense of protecting the state or the regime constitutes the greatest threat to the security of the state and to the regime',” he notes. According to Ünal, this message was addressed to the Ergenekon gang, a shadowy crime network that has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government. Ergenekon is suspected of having masterminded many shady incidents in Turkey to protect the regime.
Sabah's Nazlı Ilıcak says Gül messages at the inauguration were different from those of his predecessors and although some of his messages may have angered the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP), they are in compliance with the needs of the time. Recalling criticism that Gül did not even once use the word “Turk” and “did not talk about the solution to the Kurdish problem,” she says all these criticisms hang in the air because Gül talked about the general principles of democracy and explained what a modern democracy means. “He gave an implicit response to those who defend bigotry and the status quo in the name of modernism. In many parts of his speech, he said there was no reason to fear diversity and that solidarity can be ensured through diversity,” says Ilıcak.
Sabah's Emre Aköz, who also commented on the attendance of the generals at Thursday's session, says the generals' presence could be interpreted as a sign of their support for the government's democratization initiative, which aims to resolve Turkey's Kurdish problem. “That is good, but where were they before? Just because such a gesture was made, will we forget all the bad decisions and the Turkish military interventions that caused thousands of death and cost trillions of lira in material loss over the past 25 years spent fighting terrorism?” asks Aköz.
