EU Minister Ömer Çelik’s remarks on the cancellation of meetings with Turkish Citizens in Germany

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik made a statement regarding Germany’s decision on cancelling the meeting to be held with Turkish citizens by Bekir Bozdağ, Minister of Justice. Sharing his views on his official Twitter account, EU Minister Ömer Çelik stated that the prevention of meeting with Turkish citizens in Germany was a clear obstruction of the use of a democratic right and added “we share common values with Germany such as democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms. We expect respect to these values. Our citizens have the right to vote abroad in elections/referanda held in Türkiye. Thus they are natural subjects of democratic process.”

Stating that was a democratic right of citizens to be informed of choices of various kinds within the democratic framework in Türkiye, Minister Ömer Çelik told: “It's unacceptable that many politicians in Germany attempt to block the use of this right as well as some institutions' de-facto blocking”.

EU Minister Ömer Çelik commented that preventing meetings with Turkish citizens is tantamount to moving away from democratic framework and that could not exist in European democracies.

Minister Ömer Çelik continued his remarks as follows:

“With such an attitude, they damage the bridges between democracies and just erect ideological Berlin Walls that detach people from each other. It is sad to see such action against Türkiye that's in parallel with demands of far-right enemies of democracy. And this does not suit European democracies. The ones who erect ideological and mental new Berlin Walls give the greatest damage to European democracies. If democratic gatherings are prevented, then geographical and political barbed wires are constructed against democracy. Anti-immigrant, anti-semitic, racist and Islamophobic political movements are also against EU's values. Actions tantamount to demands of such movements to prevent our gatherings with our citizens just put European democracies in wrong hands. A country that prevents meeting our citizens should understand that consequences of this action would be weakening of democratic values. At a time when calls for more democracy are needed, preventing the use of most fundamental rights is incomprehensible. Such decisions taken in Germany would be a defeat for the ones who subscribe to the values of the free world and a victory for racists. We expect relevant decision makers to abandon such actions that prevent our gatherings with our citizens. We remind the fundamental values.”