[
This is an unofficial English translation of the original French text
]
Nowadays, the hardest challenges European countries confront are fighting
against terrorist organizations such as DAESH and the management of
migration flows. Turkey continues to hold an essential role within the
context of international efforts in overcoming these challenges.
It is Turkey, who has enabled the European Union (EU) to regulate the
Syrian migration flow. Turkey has not only hosted three and a half million
Syrian refugees, but also saved the lives of thousands of people by halting
their risky attempts to get across the Aegean Sea in order to reach Western
Europe.
Turkey is one of the first countries to recognize DAESH as a terrorist
organization. Moreover, our country is a member of the International
Coalition, established to counter DAESH.
Whereas some Western countries have not been able to control even the
transiting of jihadists through their airports, Turkey has denied the entry
of more than four thousand suspected travelers on her territory; deported
almost six thousand terrorists; arrested more than ten thousand DAESH and
Al-Qaida members; and exerted great efforts to ensure the security of her
911 kilometers long land border with Syria.
While other coalition members have not gone beyond a very symbolic presence
on the field, only Turkey has fought with her land forces against DAESH
alongside with the Free Syrian Army since 2016.
Operation “Euphrates Shield” is an exceptional -even unique- operation to
serve as a model in this respect, which was directed by the Turkish Army
and ensured the liberation of Jarabulus, Al-Bab and surrounding cities, as
well as the peaceful return of hundreds of thousands of Syrians back home.
In that case, could we say that Turkey, against which the Europeans lean
their back in terms of their security, is understood correctly? Could we
say that our country’s actions are conveyed correctly and that they are
appreciated? Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Anti-Turkey discourse prevalent in the West today, is a partial reflection
of the increase in xenophobia and Islamophobia, which are fed by Western
extremists’ instrumentalization of migrant flows. Furthermore, some
unscrupulous politicians, with the goal of satisfying their voters, have
tried to conceal their anti-Muslim and xenophobic messages, disguised as
their “political truthfulness” in their opposition against Turkey's EU
accession.
This discourse also stems from those underestimating threats faced by
Turkey in recent years, and blaming its leaders of becoming authoritarian,
and violating individual rights in an unfounded way. However, which
European country could have further respected these rights in the face of
violent acts by terrorist organizations such as DAESH and PKK/PYD/YPG that
have taken control of the frontier areas; the bloody coup attempt by
Fethullah Gülen and his terrorist organization on 15 July 2016; the threats
and challenges Turkey has faced, such as the economic and social burden of
Syrian refugees at Turkish taxpayers’ expense? Actually, no country except
for Turkey could have better dealt with such various challenges
simultaneously.
Turkey, which is a founding member of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg,
is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. This Convention
guarantees that individual rights of all citizens are respected by also the
Turkish Justice as in other European countries. Accordingly, no one could
allege that these rights are less respected in Turkey than in any other
country in Europe.
Thanks to its determination, Turkey today manages to prevent terrorist
organizations such as DAESH or PKK/PYD/YPG from taking any action on her
territory. Advances recorded in the fight against FETO will soon allow the
Turkish Government to lift the state of emergency. One can recall that it
took seven hundred and nineteen days to end the state of emergency in
France.
Today, Turkey enjoys a sound political stability and has the highest
economic growth rate among European countries. Turkey, welcoming nearly
forty million tourists each year, also continues to be one of the world’s
safest tourist destinations.
Turkey’s priority, as a country exerting every effort in finding a
political solution in Syria, is to eliminate any terrorist presence on her
border with this country, which also constitutes the border of Europe and
NATO with the Middle East.
Operation "Olive Branch" conducted in Afrin against the PKK/PYD/YPG and
their associate DAESH, will therefore continue until this goal is fully
achieved. At all costs, Turkey will not allow this terrorist organization
to occupy Syrian territory on her borderline and will do her best to
demonstrate the gravity of their mistake to her allies who falsely think
that using PKK/PYD/YPG terrorists as mercenaries in their so-called fight
against DAESH is a good idea.
Our allies will realize that Turkey is, and will remain, their best ally
for the security of Europe and the region.