Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik Evaluated the Fifth EU-Africa Summit

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik evaluated the fifth EU-Africa Summit.

Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik, over his twitter account, reminded that the fifth EU- Africa Summit had been held and said that many issues, from compensation for past mistakes to current problems, had been discussed.

Minister Ömer Çelik emphasized that Africa, as a continent that had been exploited for the wealth of other continents, and deserved a share from this model of enrichment and welfare. Minister Ömer Çelik also underlined that there was need for new humanitarian development models as well as investment in the future of African youth.

Minister Ömer Çelik also expressed that addressing the matter only as the prevention of migration from Africa to Europe was nothing but repeating the past mistakes and that not allowing people who were fleeing poverty and oppression to have an opportunity for regular migration resulted in the establishment of slave markets, such as in Libya.

Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik also said that keeping these people in certain regions and away from Europe was not an achievement, but would have even more serious consequences than colonialism. Minister Ömer Çelik emphasized that the EU should fight against the mentality of European racists who saw Africa as a “holding area” or “concentration camp” for the prevention of migration.

Minister Ömer Çelik stated that adopting approaches towards Africa that only envisage aid models aimed to prevent migration was a new form of colonialism and that humanitarian development models needed to be created.