Dear Counterpart / Dear Ambassador;
As Greens of Turkey, we are the party of those who want to live, to be free, to love whomever and however they wish, who dream of a beautiful future like their peers abroad. We are writing this letter so that you can hear the wishes of millions of Republic of Turkey’s citizens, once again via the Greens’ Party.
Although there are short historical gaps, Anatolia has been ruled for nearly two hundred years by rulers and reformers who have turned their faces to the West, who have modelled a Western way of life, forms of governance and laws for themselves, and who have even taken continuous and serious steps to achieve this. Being shaped by the geographical destiny of being the westernmost part of the East and the easternmost part of the West, Republican Turkey’s direction has not changed in the past 100 years, and this has only been possible because it has found a social response.
In the minds of people still living in Turkey, the concept of abroad is almost equivalent to the countries in the European Union and other Western countries such as the United States. Even though the rulers sometimes turn their gaze in different directions due to the necessities of their political moves and strategies, this does not mean anything more than looking the other way on a ship sailing in the western direction.
The mutual weakening of the bond between Turkey and the Western World, as a result of the political, social and economic crises that have emerged in Turkey and its neighbouring geography in the last two decades and the choices of those who govern Turkey, is no secret to anyone. And those in the society of Turkey who wish to see this bond strengthened again, are unfortunately suffering the most from this weakening. Beneath the dust cloud created by governments, there are still strong economic cooperation, social ties and common goals.
At this point, it would be right to emphasize the starting point of this letter. Visa problems between Turkey and EU countries have become a constant part of the agenda in Turkey. A person living in Turkey prepares files full of documents and spends half of the minimum wage just for visa applications in order to go on a trip that a peer born in a European country can take without a second thought. As a result of all these efforts, these applications are increasingly being rejected.
We are aware that you have the right to determine your own policies on visa issues. At the same time, as Greens of Turkey, while we take the responsibility for the century-long western journey of the society in Turkey and know well what needs to be done for the future, we expect your positive contributions to this recently stumbling journey. Namely, we call on you to help us overcome these artificial barriers between societies by advocating and implementing visa policies in this direction.
Although each Green Party is formed and makes politics according to its own unique local conditions, in fact all Green Parties are part of a whole that looks at similar problems through similar lenses and produces common policies against them. We are very happy about this and believe that we will act with the strength we will get from our commonalities.
Green greetings from beneath the same sun.
Co-spokespersons of Greens’ Party of Turkey
Özlem Taşdemir Teke – Koray Doğan Urbarlı
