Known as the first event of its kind, the project is the fruition of hard work with a variety of civil society organizations in Turkey and aims to stress the role of Turkish woman in Turkey's membership process. Erdoğan will visit Brussels along with more than 300 other women on April 29 to brief the Europeans about the role of women in Turkey's public sphere in a two-day conference to be held at the European Parliament.
Accompanied by State Minister and Turkey's chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış, Erdoğan will be an honorary guest of the conference, titled “The Role of Turkish Woman in the European Union Accession Process.”
Hosted by MEP Emine Bozkurt, the conference will also be attended by EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle, EP Turkey Rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten and EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee Co-Chairperson Hélène Flautre as speakers. Under Erdoğan's leadership, businesswomen, female representatives of civil society organizations, female government officials and artists will be represented at the conference. The committee will then attend a concert of internationally acclaimed Turkish pop star Sertap Erener, the 2003 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) on Thursday. Bağış and Erdoğan will also attend a conference about female civil society organizations both in the EU and in Turkey on Friday at the İstanbul Center in Brussels.
Speaking to Today's Zaman about the visit, Bağış said Europeans still do not sufficiently understand the point Turkish women have reached in Turkey. Noting that they are working hard with a range of civil society organizations to promote how women have acquired important roles in Turkey both in the state bureaucracy and civil society as well as in business, Bağış said the delegation coming along with the prime minister's spouse on this visit is important to display how Turkish women are vital in Turkey's EU membership process. Pointing to the fact that there are women in high-level positions in the bureaucracy, the private sector and in civil society organizations, Bağış said this needs to also be known by Europeans.
Erdoğan is also expected to attend an exhibition titled “Seven Architects of the Seven Hills” during her visit to Brussels. Erdoğan previously participated in various events in both Syria and Qatar and was instrumental in helping build bridges of dialogue between women.
