2023-12-22 18:14:54
The beautiful saying “before the ink is dry” also exists in Turkish. At the moment it seems that it was invented specifically for Erdoğan. We have known for a long time that he denies lofty statements before the ink is dry. For 21 years! In September of last year, one of his statements caused unrest in Europe, especially in Greece. There were tensions between Ankara and Athens in the eastern Mediterranean at the time, and Erdoğan threatened: “Perhaps one night we will come unexpectedly.”
To the Turkish version of the column
Click to read the original Turkish version of the article
I wrote to you at the time that the words were not to be taken seriously; rather, Erdoğan was interested in whipping up nationalist feelings before the 2023 elections. Together with the story of a poem that had been misused as a threat of war in recent Turkish history, I wrote at the time: “It is rather unlikely that Erdoğan will come unexpectedly one night (…). In a phrase PC gamers know: Erdoğan is pushing all the buttons at once to win the June 2023 election.”
“That didn’t mean Greece”
But let’s not do him an injustice, he certainly traveled to Athens. After his victory in the elections, which he had brought forward by a month at short notice, he paid a visit to Athens at the beginning of December. Not unexpectedly or at night. Rather, his private jet landed in Athens in broad daylight. When Erdoğan was reminded of his threat to come unexpectedly one night during an interview with the Greek press, he replied smoothly: “That didn’t mean Greece, but the separatist terrorists.”
Bülent Mumay: Picture: private
And who did Erdoğan meet in Athens? Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis. In other words, the very head of state about whom he said last year: “For me there is no Mitsotakis. I’m not willing to meet under any circumstances.” Let’s leave aside for now the rants he’s making before the ink is dry and come to the most important result of Erdoğan’s visit to Greece. After the conversation with Erdoğan, Mitsotakis appeared in front of the cameras and announced good news: “One week stay for Turkish citizens with a visa issued directly at the border crossing.”
Don’t be alarmed, with the visa that the Schengen state of Greece wants to issue to us at the border, we cannot travel on to Germany, not even to Athens. The requirement to obtain a visa in advance will only be lifted for ten smaller islands that are a maximum of one hour from the Turkish coast. Likewise, we will continue to have to bring all possible documents with us when queuing to get a one-week visa at the port. Mitsotakis’ announcement, published “unexpectedly in broad daylight,” was launched as a diplomatic triumph for Erdoğan. But how many people in Turkey does the good news actually affect? Will Erdoğan’s electoral clientele in particular have the chance to go on vacation to the Greek islands with enough euros in their pockets?
Only nine million of our 85 million residents have a passport. Only four million of them are active. Only one million Turkish citizens travel abroad every year. A large number of them travel to Saudi Arabia to visit the holy sites or to countries like Germany for a few days to visit relatives. The costs for the passport and visa alone amount to almost a minimum wage. And this in a country where over 50 percent of the population lives on the minimum wage.
Bülent Mumay Published/Updated: 47 minutes ago , Published/Updated: Recommendations: 32 Bülent Mumay Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 86
The minimum wage in Turkey is currently the equivalent of around 360 euros, but the poverty line is 1,490 euros. Inflation has also become a problem for people’s health. Seven of the ten most expensive products last month were food products. Thanks to Erdoğan’s economic policies, we are neither able to eat properly nor live in humane conditions. Even the head of the central bank, who earns almost 10,000 euros a month, announced last week that she had moved in with her mother because she couldn’t find a suitable apartment that she could afford in Istanbul. Her mother, who owns the apartment, is not a rich woman, but a retired math teacher. People in this city used to be able to afford an apartment on their wages, but in Erdoğan’s “new Turkey” they could no longer even rent. As well as? According to official statistics, rents more than doubled within a year.
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