Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Nov 22 2009
Journalist Ã?elik says Turkey is more assertive, respected in world
despite domestic hurdles
Hakan Ã?elik, a journalist who specializes in Turkish foreign policy,
has said Turkey has been going through painful times domestically in
its democratization process but that its assertiveness in the world is
paying off as it is able to gain respect.
`Turkey is in a process in which it is facing up to its taboos.
Following each step taken in the process, there is an increase in the
quality of democracy even though there are painful times. This fact
has been recognized by the world,’ he said as a journalist who visited
more than 100 countries.
Ã?elik pointed out that there is growing curiosity and respect for
Turkey and its culture almost everywhere he has been to.
As a prominent journalist who has been working for media organizations
which usually stand at the opposite ends of the political spectrum,
Ã?elik also shared with us the intricacies of his position, not so
usual in Turkey.
You work in media organizations which have been in involved in public
scuffles. How is it possible for you to work, for example, for both
Kanal 24 and Posta, which seem to stand at almost opposite ends?
When political tension rises, groups or representatives of those
groups use a harsh style against one another. They even accuse each
other of not having similar views. And as you said, I work for media
organizations that are distinguished by their different owners, who
usually stand at politically opposite ends. There are difficulties
related to that, but the guests who come to my television or radio
programs do it because they believe in my journalistic integrity. They
probably don’t say that Hakan Ã?elik is the man of the DoÄ?an Group or
Hakan Ã?elik works for a television channel which is sympathetic to the
ruling party’s policies. The question is: Do you evaluate a news story
from the viewpoint of your engagements with a certain media group? Or
do you evaluate a news story from the viewpoint of universally
accepted standards of journalism?
The second option, indeed, is what needs to be preached and practiced
by journalists.
Our job is to search for the truth and listen to different voices and
opinions, and communicate those different views to the public. After
presenting facts, sides and the background information, we also need
to leave room for the public to make a decision about their choices.
Speaking for myself, I don’t like to direct viewers or readers to
support a certain idea because they are intelligent enough to do it
themselves. But instead, readers or viewers are manipulated to support
certain ideas.
Is this a result of the polarization that the society faces?
This is an important factor. I have been a journalist for 22 years and
the society has been polarized at times. But I have never before seen
the media, society and politics as polarized as now. Looking for the
truth is a hard task in today’s polarized environment. This is like
trying to stay inside your lane while trying to make a turn on the
road. You have to be an excellent driver in order to do that.
Otherwise you will naturally skid off the road. In our profession, we
constantly face challenging turns. Journalists have been pressed to
take a side and if not, they face elimination. So it is difficult to
concentrate on the requirements of journalism under those
circumstances. But there are some principles like sticking to the
norms of a pluralistic, democratic and free society in which
minorities can live their lives freely as well as the majority. In
that regard, having the European Union as an anchor for Turkey is
important.
`Turkey isn’t moving away from the West’
What do you think about the recent discussion over whether Turkey is
moving away from the West?
We entered this discussion at a time when Turkey became dismayed by
the EU. Had this not been the case, we would not have had such a
discussion since Turkey’s opening to the East would not attract this
much attention. Almost no day goes by without leaders from the leading
countries of Europe, such as France and Germany, making disappointing
statements on Turkey. In this environment, Turkey’s long-lost interest
in its immediate neighborhood has begun to draw attention even though
Turkey has been late in approaching the countries in its immediate
neighborhood. And this does not mean that Turkey is changing its
direction. There is no change of direction. Turkey’s basic principles
are same. But Turkey is more assertive today in its region. In
addition, Turkey’s economy is the world’s 15th largest economy with
regard to purchasing power parity. When you look at direct foreign
investment in Turkey, you see that it has reached more than $20
billion annually in the last few years. When this is the case, it is
not realistic for Turkey to put all its eggs in one basket, namely
that of the EU, whose economic activity has been decreasing. Indeed,
Turkey’s increasingly good relations go beyond its neighborhood.
Turkey has been opening consulates in Africa and Latin America.
You travel a lot as part of your job. How many countries have you been to?
More than 100.
What do you see when you go out of Turkey?
Turkey’s image abroad is much better than the impression we get here
in Turkey. Personally, I feel better about Turkey when I go abroad. In
some places, people are quite curious about Turkey. In other places,
people admire Turkey. And in some other places, there is concern about
Turkey’s growth potential because Turkey might be a serious
competitor. This is how the EU sees Turkey. In France, for example,
they see a future Turkey which is a partner but at the same time a
rival.
What strikes you most regarding perceptions about Turkey when you go abroad?
I was in Turkmenistan with President Abdullah Gül and came across
children in a desert-like land. They talked about Turkish series on
television. In a pizza shop in Italy’s narrow streets, an Egyptian
pizza parlor owner told me about Turkish soccer players in detail.
Turkey is now present in many areas of the world with its cultural
exports. This is also the case not only in the Middle East and in Arab
countries but also in Africa, the Caucasus and in the Balkans. This is
also due to Turkey’s changing role in the world. Turkey used to be an
introverted country with an inward looking economy. This has been
changing. Turkey started to play the role of mediator in the
international arena and it has been producing solutions. It was not an
easy task to be a mediator between Russia and Georgia. But the Turkish
prime minister did it. Turkey gained Russia’s trust and has become a
respectable country in the eyes of Russia, which comes from the Soviet
tradition.
Facing up to taboos
You go to Israel, too. Do you think this is a dominant view in Israel as well?
The number of Israelis who view Turkey suspiciously has increased
recently. We should remember that a hard-line government is in power
in Israel. When there was an Israeli government which was more
integrated with the world, we saw in the past that it was able to
cooperate with Turkey without prejudice. We should remember that
President Gül brought together Israeli President Shimon Peres and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara [in 2007]. That was very
important. Turkey has this potential because Turkey is trusted in this
region. Current tension in Turkish-Israeli relations should not
persist.
Do you find Turkey’s democratization process an issue that is
speculated on abroad?
Especially in the past, Turkey’s problems with its Kurdish population
were questioned a lot. In the most recent period, Turkey has been
doing a good job of communicating that it is going through a sincere
democratization process, and that involves not only Turkey’s Kurdish
population but also its minorities. Turkey is in a process in which it
is facing up to its taboos. Following each step taken in the process,
there is an increase in the quality of democracy even though there are
painful times. This fact has been recognized by the world. That’s why
I feel on top of the world when I go abroad as opposed to feeling
demoralized while in Turkey. We should remember that some European
countries won’t sell Turkey arms, fearing they’ll be used in the
Southeast against the Kurdish citizens of our country. Sweden used to
campaign against Turkey in Europe. Today, the strongest support in the
EU for Turkey comes from Sweden and Finland. This shows that Turkey’s
bad record in the area of human rights has been fading away.
What do you think could stop the democratic initiative?
Everyone should be aware of the responsibility falling upon their
shoulders. The opposition should not fall into the trap that the
initiative of the ruling party could win them votes if they oppose it.
This is an important period in Turkey and it requires societal
consensus. Even Diyarbakırspor (which is viewed by some
ultranationalists as synonymous with the PKK) has a responsibility.
They should not say that they would withdraw from their next match in
the wake of racist slogans chanted by rival Gaziantepspor supporters
because they are one of the teams in the Republic of Turkey. What they
should do is seek legal ways to protect their interests. And the
(pro-Kurdish) Democratic Society Party (DTP) should not raise the
Kurds’ expectations on issues which would not have not much chance to
be realized.
`Insidious plans are alarmIng for non-Muslims, Turkey’
You attach great importance to recognizing the rights of minorities
and non-Muslim Turkish citizens of the country. You also say the
Heybeliada seminary should be reopened. Please elaborate.
I am ashamed of the fact that the seminary is still closed. There are
only 2,500 Greeks left in Turkey. They cannot educate their future
religious leaders without having such schools. They have to bring
religious leaders from Greece to Turkey. Turkey should realize that if
the Ä°stanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate loses ground, other
Orthodox patriarchates in the world would gain power, and there could
be related political developments which would not please Turkey. And
there is an ongoing debate in Turkey about the ecumenical status of
Patriarch Bartholomew. He has been recognized as ecumenical by other
patriarchates and that means he is ecumenical. This is an interfaith
issue that Turkey should not have a debate on. Plus, Patriarch
Bartholomew is a respected member of Turkish society. He is a Turkish
citizen who served in the Turkish military. He has been received by
respect and honored in every country he goes to. It is a big plus for
Turkey to have him as the ecumenical patriarch and to have the
patriarchate in Ä°stanbul. Turkey should promote that in the world with
ongoing campaigns.
As part of an ongoing investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine gang
whose suspected members are currently standing trial on charges of
having plotted to overthrow the government, it has been revealed that
an alleged anti-democratic formation within the Naval Forces Command
planned to destroy the government by assassinating prominent
non-Muslims in Turkey and putting the blame for the killings on the
ruling party. What do you think?
These are quite startling news. It is scary for Turkey. Recalling the
past killings of Armenian-Turkish editor Hrant Dink, Catholic priest
Andrea Santoro and three Christians in Malatya, and even before, the
assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali AÄ?ca, we see
that Turkey comes into the international limelight when there is an
attack on non-Muslims. This is not the Turkey which turns its face
toward a bright and modern future. These are insidious and
bloodthirsty plans which are alarming for non-Muslims and Turkey. It
is even more important for the government to emphasize not only with
its words but also its actions that non-Muslims are citizens of this
country. Again, there are only 2,500 Greeks left in Turkey. It is very
concerning that there are still some anti-democratic formations which
can have organic ties to the state. This is inexplicable and quite
frankly very embarrassing.
Hakan Ã?elik, award-winning journalist who knows the world
Hakan Ã?elik has been the Ankara representative of the Posta daily for
the last five-and-a-half years. He has been a columnist for the
newspaper since 1997. Ã?elik’s `Weekend’ show on the Habertürk TV
station was among the most widely viewed weekend shows in Turkey. He
now has a similar show on Kanal 24. In addition, his TRT-3 radio music
show `Tren YolculuÄ?u’ (Train Ride) takes listeners on a smooth journey
on Sundays. A graduate of Ä°stanbul University’s School of
Communication and Political Science, he has been a journalist since
1988 and has received many awards.
22 November 2009, Sunday
YONCA POYRAZ DOÄ?AN Ä°STANBUL