Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik evaluated the statements by Austria and the Netherlands

Regarding the statements by Austria and the Netherlands that they would not allow election campaign speeches and meetings for the 24 June elections, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik said that the Austrian Chancellor (Sebastian Kurz) and the Dutch Prime Minister (Michael Rutte) were clearly not observing democratic values but were sending their greetings to anti-Turkish and racist political movements.

Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik reminded in his statement over his twitter account that the Netherlands followed suit after Austria and announced that they will not allow election campaign speeches and meetings for the 24 June elections for Turkish citizens living there. Noting that on the one hand, they blocked the exercise of most fundamental democratic rights and on the other hand they argued that there were negative developments in terms of democracy in Türkiye, Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik said: “If democracy had the right to complain about this hypocrisy, it would have first sued these politicians who take such positions.

Minister Ömer Çelik said that the Austrian Chancellor (Sebastian Kurz) and the Dutch Prime Minister (Michael Rutte) were clearly not observing democratic values but were sending their greetings to anti-Turkish and racist political movements.

Underlining that Austria and the Netherlands were poisoning democratic values in their own countries, Minister Ömer Çelik said: “They contribute to the flourishing of racist political movements which are also hostile to EU values.”

Minister Ömer Çelik said: “Austria and the Netherlands must act with common sense. If the door to damaging democratic values is once opened, it will never be closed. Through this door, first populism sneaks in, then racist politics takes over and finally the politics of hatred prevails. With these decisions Austrian and Dutch PMs harm their own countries by taking these decisions. In both countries, racist political movements flourish due to such approaches. There cannot be one democratic approach for Europe itself and another one for that which is external to Europe. If they want their statements regarding democracy to be respected, they should first take decisions that are not hostile to Türkiye.”