This refers to the article, “The Erdogan puzzle: Solving the insolvable” by (December 22) by Rajesh Singh. The writer talks about an ‘Erdogan puzzle’, which is in and by itself a puzzling description to approach one of the most popular politicians in this era. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan serves the Turkish Republic and the nation with dedicated fervour, as a democrat who relies on nothing else than an impressive array of fair and free election victories, a reformer who has overseen a transformation in the nation’s economy (with personal income of Turkish citizens more than tripling in a decade) and a no less impressive transformation in a society that is no longer burdened with the constricting tutelage of Cold War mentality and that looks for its place amidst today’s new global challenges with self-confidence.
President Erdogan is a democratically elected head of state who proudly stood against a pernicious coup attempt unleashed by Fethullah Gulen Terror Organisation, on the fateful night of July 15, with his nation, as well as against the PKK terror trying to disturb the unity and cohesion of Turkish society with its historical traditions of peaceful coexistence. As for his approach towards the European Union, I will leave the verdict to President Erdogan’s own words: “Turkey is an inalienable part of Europe, and EU membership is a strategic preference for us (December 16, Ankara).”
Ümit Alpaslan Kiliç Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Embassy of the Republic of Turkey