"THEIR CONCEPTION OF DEMOCRACY IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEIR SEATS AND HAT IN THE CLOAKROOM"

Speaking at AK Party Arnavutkoy 1. Ordinary District Congress, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that European standards were necessary for everyone.

He stated "Some people in Turkey, by bringing forward some of the politicians of the past years, are willing to return to that old blurred days when the country was governed by the gangs." Bagis continued his speech with these:

"I don't believe that they have many chances. They continuously utter the word ‘Great Turkey'. Great Turkey in their minds is Turkey where 8 percent interest rates, an inflation rate of 120 percent are seen at a night and where money is stolen from the people's pockets at midnights. Their conception of democracy is the distance between their seats and hat in the cloakroom. But today in Turkey, there indeed exists the governance of the nation."

Stating that extra judicial execution did not exist in the European standards, Bagis said democracy was not perceived as they liked and the dressing styles of the people were not dealt with.

Pointing out the existences of focal points resisting Turkey's EU membership both in Europe and in Turkey and stressing that the situation was clearly seen when a law was passed barely within two hours, Bagis said that he had made a call to the opposition party to work together in order to form a constitution in the European standards, if EU membership was really something desired.

Bagis stated "the opposing party makes EU talks in Brussels and then in Turkey they carry out works opposite of what they said in Brussels." Bagis continued his speech with these:

"I have also stated in the past. I have also been against the situation when extra judicial execution was carried out for Mehmet Sevigen from CHP. If we rely on the judicial system of this country, then we shouldn't let the media judge the people.

Recently, they mention of the president of Radio and Television Supreme Council. If there is an offence committed, then he should be judged. But if there isn't any offence then I would like to emphasize that the judging of the media is contrary to the EU standards. Attaining the EU standards is not judging, convicting, executing the people and at the same time it is not pontificating as ‘Why can't we be an EU member?...Why can't the government fulfill the EU standards?... We can not be a member to EU...'

Bagis stated that it was everybody's duty to pave the way for a better future for Turkey, to head for the needs of the nation and to settle the democracy.

Feyzullah Kiyikli, Akif Gulle, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, Recep Koral and Burhan Kuzu, Ak Party's Deputies; Aziz Babuscu, AK Party Istanbul Province Chairman and Kadir Topbas, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor participated in the congress in which Omer Dincer, Minister of Labour and Social Security made a speech. Resource: AA