6 April 2012 /FEHMİ KORU STAR
The War Academies Command, a military school in İstanbul, heard two prominent speeches within the span of a week.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a speech last week, and this week President Abdullah Gül did. Briefly, Gül mentioned Turkey’s role in international relations and said he believes the world has experienced another broad wave of change in the last couple of years. The previous wave of change was seen in Eastern Europe and Latin America after 1989. The recent one started in Tunisia and spread to other Arab countries. I want to underline one of his points: “Now the walls of fear have been demolished. Recent public movements have disappointed those political Orientalists and defenders of cultural relativism who argue that Islamic principles contradict democracy.” Turkey is the greatest example that proves this analysis to be true. I know this because I have long followed Turkish leaders’ visits abroad, and I have noticed the difference between how foreign country leaders used to treat our leaders and how they treat them now. In addition to the disappointment Gül mentioned, respect for our leaders has also emerged in the recent years.
