Udenrigsudvalget 2016-17
URU Alm.del Bilag 165
Offentligt
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H.E. Ane Halsboe-Jorgensen
Cahirperson of the Foreign Affairs
Commiftee of the Danish Parliament
Copenhagen,
22
March
2017
kG. An.e
I have the honour to forward to Your Excellency, the original letter of I-LE.
Taha Özhan, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand
National Assembly, concerning the recent developments with regard to the
campaigns to be held in Europe before the referendum, which
will
be held on i6 April
2017
in Turkey.
Bora KERIMOÔLU
Charge D’Affaires of the Embassy
of the Republic ofTurkey
End.:;
 URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 165: Henvendelse af 22. marts 2017 fra formanden for Tyrkiets udenrigsudvalg om den tyrkiske folkeafstemning
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0LK?1.
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Foreign Affairs Committee
Ankara,
Dear Mrs. Chairperson.
13th
March 2017
The referendum to be held on April 16 in Turkey aims to fiirther democratize the
political system, pluralize representation and stabilize the administrative processes. The
referendum which will decide such necessary changes is as important for Turkey as it is for
Europe which Turkey is a part of All the political parties in Turkey are competing for votes
both
ifl
Turkey and in Europe where approximately 3 million eligible Turkish voters live. To
this end, they take part in events held in Europe regarding the referendum.
However, the past week we saw a disrespectful and anti-democratic interference to these
events by the German and Dutch authorities, which is also against the diplomatic intercourse
enshrined in the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations. Elected officials of the Turkish
Government were prevented from taking part in events which were organized within the
democratic and legal settings of the mentioned countries. Especial ly by preventing first the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Çavuoglu and then the Minister of family and Social Affairs Kaya,
the Dutch authorities have taken the issue to a new anti-democratic and xenophobic level. The
elected officials and Turkish diplomats with diplomatic immunity were disrespected, and
ordinary people who gathered peacefully to show support were assaulted by the security forces.
Not only the Dutch authorities showed an unprecedented interference to democratic rights, they
also violated severely the diplomatic conventions and traditions.
This last incident underlines the point of irrationality that the European politics has
reached against Turkey and AK party government. This is another worrying example
illustrating the rise of xenophobia and lslamophobia throughout Europe. We should all
remember the dire consequences of xenophobia in Europe in the last century, leading up to the
death ofmillions of people and even genocide. Therefore, rising xenophobia and reappearance
of fascism in mainstream politics throughout Europe in the last few years should be carefully
examined and contained. This shifi of axis in the mainstream politics has brought in alarming
levels of animosity towards multiculturalism and minority communities. Such practices can
only be referred to as discrimination and fascism, and to call such discrimination “populism” is
a mere distraction from the harsh reality.
As Turkey, it is our sincere hope that Europe retums to the path of democracy where
rights and freedoms, as well as true practices of politics are respected and protected without
succumbing to the pressures of xenophobia and fascism. We call on ali the foreign Affairs
Committees of the Parliaments throughout EU countries to condemn the anti-democratic
practices and narratives of the German and Dutch authorities of the past week so that such
unfortunate incident shall not be repeated.
Kind Regards,
Taha ÖZHAN
Chairperson of the foreign Affairs Committee
Mrs. Ane HALSBOE-JØRGENSEN
Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of Folketinget