The meeting, planned for late March, is expected to host Turkey’s most famous and successful actors and directors. Turkish comedians Cem Yılmaz and Ata Demirer will also be invited to the meeting, where the democratic initiative, which aims to raise the standards of democracy, freedoms and respect for human rights in Turkey, will be discussed.
The prime minister also plans to get together with authors and leading figures from the world of literature.
Erdoğan asked artists from Turkey’s music industry at a breakfast last month to support the government’s democratic initiative. Erdoğan’s invitation to leading artists, including famous composers, songwriters and singers, was well received, with many of them expressing hope for the future of the country and thus pledging their support for the democratic initiative.
The democratic initiative was launched by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) last year in order to elevate democratic standards and expand freedoms as well as to better comply with the contemporary understanding of human rights in the country.
In order to prevent it from falling victim to political bickering, Erdoğan and his government embarked on an effort to broaden the appeal of the project and to make it suprapolitical. Interior Minister Beşir Atalay previously had talks with leading academics and journalists while trying to determine concrete steps to be taken as part of the project. The prime minister’s meetings with artists are also a part of such moves.
The AK Party organized conferences in provinces throughout Turkey last month to explain the initiative to the public. These conferences are expected to continue in March and April.
