JONAS GAHR STORE: We appreciate that the Minister visited Trondheim, attended the funeral of Gizem, party member of the Labor Party Youth who was killed on the 22nd of July. We appreciate that hand of friendship and also Minister’s comments that this is being two people’s even closer in the grief. I have stated to the Minister that we are also united in fighting terrorism which is striking people indiscriminately, not regarding their background, their ethnicity, their fate or whatever. We have seen the examples of that and now we have the long list of people killed at Utoya. We get an illustration of how Norway in 2011 is composed and the strength of that youth and how we have all felt the great lost, a lost which is felt by all the way to Turkey, all the way to Georgia, all the way to Iraq, beyond Norway’s borders. In addition to that, the Minister and I have taken the opportunity to touch the issues which we regularly cooperate on at the Middle East, Libya, and General Assembly of the United Nations. The Minister, thank you for coming and thank you for sharing your condolences with Norwegian people.
SAYIN BAKAN: Thank you very much, Jonas. I came here today to Norway with a special and one mission; to express the condolences of the Turkish people with the Norwegian people and showing solidarity against terrorism with the friendly, brotherly nations, the nation of Norway and today I participated in the funeral of Gizem. In fact, her life itself was short, but her life was a lesson to all of us. A success story of Norwegian society, a success story of Turkish society, how these two cultures came together in the personality of Gizem who came to Norway when she was 7 years old, stayed in Norway and was feeling herself as a Norwegian and as a Turkish. This is the success of Norwegian culture of tolerance.
In fact, those who lost their lives on 22nd of July regardless of their ethnic, religious origins, they give same message to humanity that now we need a culture of tolerance, we need a multicultural society everywhere in the world. I came here for expressing our solidarity together with Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ representing the Turkish government, conveying the message of Prime Minister Erdoğan and the message of all Turkish nation that we are shoulder to shoulder with Norwegian people and fighting against terrorism and working for regional, global peace everywhere in the world. This is the message and I was very impressed when I read the statement of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. He mentioned that Norway will pass the exam. I can say that Norway has already passed the exam and I want to send this message to the people of Norway that their spirit of multiculturalism has passed the exam. Norway is the best example for the future of humanity.
Thank you my dear friend Jonas, and thanks to Norwegian government for this strong solidarity with this culture of democracy. We had chance to discuss also some regional issues, Middle East, Libya and other issues such as Afghanistan, but this was the secondary agenda for us. I came here for one simple mission to express our solidarity. Turkey will be working with Norway forever as a friendly nation in all the cases including fighting against terror. Thank you for your kindness in receiving me in such a short notice.
SORU: Minister Davutoğlu, do you have any comment about crackdown in Syria, particularly killings in Hama?
SAYIN BAKAN: I made a statement this morning at the airport before coming to Norway. We strongly condemn this because the time and the methodology of this operation both were very wrong. The methodology was wrong because of the usage of heavy arms in a city environment, it is not proper. The timing, one day before Ramadan which is the month of peace in Muslim world, was also a very wrong signal to the Syrian people, to the Muslim world and to the global community. We have been urging the Syrian government to make more reforms based on the demands of the Syrian people and easing the tension and not using security measures only, but more reforms. When we were expecting more reforms from Syria, unfortunately we were shocked with this news yesterday. We hope that things will be settled and Ramadan will not be a peaceful month to establish a new future for Syria, a new future of peace, stability and freedom which will make Syria stronger than today. That is our message and we will continue to work very hard to help Syrian people and to convey the correct messages to Syrian administration which we have very good relations until today. Thank you.
SORU: What would be your message to European Muslims in the wake of increasing terrorist attacks?
SAYIN BAKAN: In fact, today at the funeral of Gizem, I underlined three messages. One was to the mother and father of Gizem and to the all Muslim fathers and brothers in fact. I said Gizem was your daughter until today, but now she is the daughter of all Norwegian people and of all humanity. Second message was to the Turkish community and we can give this message to Muslim community in Norway and in Europe that in order to prevent this ill mentality, now it is time to embrace Norwegian and Christian neighbours. Those who killed these young people, they did not look to their religions. They killed Christians, Muslims, Norwegians, as my dear colleague mentioned, Georgians, from different countries. So it means terrorism is the enemy of all humanity. It is not an issue between Muslims or Christians or between Europeans and Asians, but this is a threat to all of us. As I mentioned in the funeral, now it is time to embrace neighbours. I am calling from here, all Muslims, tomorrow, they have to give one flower, as the symbol of a new term, to their Norwegian neighbours showing that this is not an issue of religion or ethnicity but this is an issue of human being. From here I will be going to the mosque, a Turkish society and a mosque and I will give the same message to them and from there I will go to the cathedral to share the pains of our Christian friends and neighbours and brothers and sisters. We are all human beings, brothers and sisters.
SORU: Turkey has an active role on Palestinian-Israel conflict. Is there any cooperation between Norway and Turkey about Palestinian-Israel conflict?
JONAS GAHR STORE: Yes, first of all, we benefit from our Turkish colleagues’ analysis being in the region, giving us an insight which is very useful. Secondly, Turkey is part of the donor support group of Palestinian authority which Norway is chairing and there we are cooperating regularly to keep the agenda alive and to support institution building among the Palestinians. And thirdly, we are all going to United Nations in September. So, we are comparing notes from different regional outlooks. Norway has its strong network with both Israelis and Palestinians. We can share some of our impressions with our Turkish friends’ and colleagues’ and we gain a lot from that very, I would say, frequent updating that the two ministers have informally and from time to time also formally.
SORU: What was your first reaction to terrorist attacks in Norway?
SAYIN BAKAN: As a Minister of Foreign Affairs of a country having bad experiences, very painful experiences in fighting against terrorism in last 30 years, we felt this pain in our heart, not only myself, Prime Minister Erdoğan, President Gül, all of us, we feel the same feelings of those who lost their daughters and sons in this terrorist attack. This was the human feeling. Secondly, we have been telling after 9/11, and even before that event, that terrorism does not recognise religion, ethnicity, and colour. Terrorism is terrorism and all of us have to condemn and fight against terrorism. We thought that this is the right time to show solidarity with our Norwegian friends and therefore in fact in those days I decided to come Norway, but I knew that my dear colleague Jonas was very busy because of this extraordinary situation in Norway, but when we heard that Gizem’s funeral will be today, I try to use this opportunity to meet and express our feelings. Today I assured my dear colleague that whatever Norway decides after this experience, bad experience, nationally, European wide or globally, as an action play or any initiative, Turkey will be supporting. This is an open cheque without even thinking twice, we will support any Norwegian initiative to fight against terrorism. We have been working in UN system in mediation efforts, in many efforts. Terrorism is a threat against all humanity. We will be supporting any initiatives on this.
SORU: My question is to Norwegian minister. Are there any changes in your perception of terrorism after this tragic event and what kind of cooperation will be between Turkey and Norway especially about PKK terrorism?
JONAS GAHR STORE: You know, no Norwegian minister, or not minister will be the same after the 22nd of July. So you know this is the most serious attack on Norway civilians since Second World War. So, of course, police will do its work and I as a minister will be careful not to draw conclusions from investigations but of course we will learn lessons about terror which I hope also will be a use for other countries. We are working closely through our police authority, security authority in global network including Turkey and throughout Europe and beyond, trying to understand this kind of extremism, this kind of experience because all experiences are unique. I will not then draw any line to any other kind of terrorism simply by saying what Norway and Turkey both agree that we reject and condemn and distance ourselves from any terrorism that is striking innocent civilians and that is harbouring extremist theories and messages and in that Turkey knows that Norway is an ally and in that Norway knows that Turkey is an ally.
SAYIN BAKAN: There is no doubt about our common understanding. It is interesting today I participated in the funeral of Gizem and show solidarity. Tomorrow evening I will be having breakfast of Ramadan in the evening with the family of Turkish soldier who was killed in the last attack two weeks ago. So, this is the destiny of two Turks, one in Norway, the other one in Konya and as ministers, as human beings, we have to show solidarity with all of them.
JONAS GAHR STORE: I try to say to my colleague and he knows that Gizem was not killed because she was Turkish, she was not killed because she was Muslim, she was killed because she was a young, talented woman who decided with this extraordinary life story to venture into politics at a very early age. We do not know if she would have continued in politics just like Banu who I attend the funeral on Friday in the Muslim Christian ceremony. It was not because she came from her origin that she was killed. This was an attack on political youth camping of my party and I think, you know, what has made a really deep impression on me is that many of these people who I didn’t know by person, now I know them. Their life stories are emerging after they were killed and their CVs, if I may say so, are such a strong message about youth courage, about the way we want our democracy to work and a thought that “I maybe make a difference in the future of this country and I will do it for democracy.” So you know we get story after story of these individuals who come and move us. In that sense, you know, it is a kind of comfort because they would continue to shake this country after the massacre and it is our responsibility we who are still safe to cherish those stories like Gizem.
SAYIN BAKAN: It is interesting just to mention to underline the same point. We are two ministers from two countries, but Gizem if she would have continued, maybe she would be either a Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs or a Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs. She would be combining two of us in one personality. So, this is the future of humanity, not the other way.
SORU: What kind of action does Turkey want United Nations Security Council to take today on Syria?
SAYIN BAKAN: Of course, in this type of cases, the first option is to solve these problems in the particular relative country, in Syria. We hope that Syria will solve its own problem. Therefore, we have been urging Syria to do more reforms. This is the first and the best option. The second best option is to solve this type of issues in cooperation with neighbours, with regional dynamism and with international community. Now, we need to support reform process if Syrian administration shows serious sincerity in the reforms, but if these tensions continue like this, if in one day more than one hundred people were killed, nobody can be silent to this. We hope that this issue will be solved without internationalisation. Today we are living in a new world. All events are being followed by everybody in the world. So, there is no close society. Therefore, we have to act responsibly in this sense. Thank you.