Let’s believe in ourselves and be proud

I believe they are doing a disservice to this nation and the country as a whole.

They are blinded to the fact that the world is changing and a wind of change is carrying Turkey to a higher level. They still live in the past. They seem obvilious to the fact that they are outdated.

Today, we should be proud of being Turks.

I’ve been writing this for years and will continue to do so. Turkey has entered a new phase. Turkey will no longer be governed the way it was. Turkey is preparing to take its place within Europe.

Turkey, since its founding, has been defined as a country ready to take off, but unfortunately it never has. It always speeded up and then applied the brake near the end of the runway. Throughout history, Turkey was described as a country full of potential, but it constantly failed to display it.

For the first time in its history, Turkey is being freed of its chains.

Turkey is at such a point that soon there will be no obstacles remaining. If Turkey gets a date to start negotiations on Dec. 17, it will no longer be a member of the second tier countries: Turkey will be playing in the "Premier League." We will be presented with so many opportunities that no one will be able to hold back the country. The nationalist and religious conservatives, who want to chain us, will fail.

Turkey needs to be proud.

Turkey needs to believe in itself.

We need to be happy.

We have worked hard to achieve this. Let’s enjoy it.

Report written for opposition within the EU
The progress report of the EU Commission is being studied in detail in Turkey. It’s receiving some fair, and, some unfair criticism. The same attitude can be seen in what those opposed to Turkey’s membership are saying.

Those who believe that Turkey doesn’t belong to Europe are very critical of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen’s report. They argue that Turkey was not criticized enough. They claim that the report paints a very optimistic picture of Turkey.

I asked about this to some EU Commission members involved in preparing the report led by Verheugen.

Their answer were very interesting.

"This report was principally prepared for those good-intentioned people and leaders who truly feared Turkey becoming an EU member: Not for Turkey. We aimed to alleviate their fears. More emphasis was placed on matters they were sensitive about. For example, that was why we included the condition of mobility of labor. We are aware this is a double standard against Turkey, but we had no other option. The possibility of suspending the negotiations was also included for the same reason. In other words, these were put in to prevent Turkey being refused a date. If we had acted any differently, the negotiations would not have started. Don’t ignore this."

Advice to Turkish public, from a friend
We need to accept the fact that Verheugen is a friend of Turkey. We were very critical of his conduct. We condemned him from time to time, however, when we most needed him, he provided us with incredible support.

The last time when I saw him in Brussels he gave me some advice to communicate.

He listed all the issues Turkey needed to be sensitive about during the negotiations.

Be calm. It may be hard, but you’ll get used to it. You need to be patient.
Don’t be emotional. Sentimentality is not useful in these types of negotiations.
Don’t exaggerate the negotiations and resolve your requests at the table. Some matters might necessitate time. Refrain from dramatic behavior.
Don’t create situations where you have to make threats like "now or never." This is not a good strategy. Be flexible and be more understanding of other’s problems.
It is advisable that we write down these suggestions. We may need to remind ourselves of them when the time comes.