The two faces of Turkey

Ria Oomen-Ruijten MEP, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Turkey, has mixed feelings about recent developments in the relationship between Turkey and the European Union over the last year. “Turkey seems to be showing us two different faces”, she stated after the presentation of the progress report by the European Commission.

Oomen-Ruijten is optimistic about the reform package which has been introduced by the Turkish Minister of Justice. She praised the democratisation package that was recently presented by Prime Minister Erdogan. Nevertheless, she emphasised that the involvement of the opposition and civil society is of great importance for Turkey’s development.

The report by the European Commission shows at the same time some worrying developments. Oomen-Ruijten referred to the mass demonstrations around the Gezipark in which six people died and eight thousand demonstrators were injured. According to her, these protests show that the deeply-rooted polarisation in Turkish politics is an important obstacle for reforms. “We reminded the Turkish Government that in a democracy, the majority also has to take into account the position of the minority, and that the right to protest and freedom of press should be respected and protected.”