TURKEY NOW HAS A STRONGER LOBBY

Delivering a speech at the meeting titled: "Public Diplomacy and Lobbying" organized by Bahcesehir University, Strategic Research Centre, in Istanbul, Besiktas Campus; Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that public diplomacy was the dialogue and communication among the governors and the public. He added:  "Public diplomacy should be regarded as a field which enables people to get close with the foreign policy and which converges various cultures and nations that are not within the scope of the foreign policy". 

Egemen Bagis declared that since 2009, the Ministry for European Union Affairs had been the epitome of public diplomacy by explaining the real potential of Turkey to the European Union and by   struggling against the prejudges before Turkey’s accession. Bagis stated: “This epitome is the Turkey’s European Union Communication Strategy (EUCS) developed and implemented by the Ministry for European Union Affairs.”

Stating that it was not possible to differentiate between public diplomacy and lobbying, Bagis said:

“We have been elected to the UN Security Council with the 151 votes out of 192. This shows Turkey’s level with regard to lobbying and proves that Turkey’s decisive stance has been embraced by most of the World.

Our assistance to Somali, our being the first country to assist after the flood in Pakistan, our embracing the Palestinian issue, proving our decisive stance regarding the advanced democracy during the European Union process, our gradually strengthening relations with the USA at the Model Partnership level, our tradition to communicate with all over the World at the same time enable Turkey to lobby that cannot be done with even billion dollars.

Declaring that Turkish citizens proudly declare their nationality in abroad, Bagis said: “Our Prime Minister’s decisive stance and being a representative of humanistic conscience have made our citizens abroad become more powerful”.

Source: AA