President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the closing ceremony of the International Migration Film Festival, which he attended via video-conference, and wished that the festival organized under the auspices of the Presidency by the Directorate General of Migration Management with the theme "Migration and Civilization" would be auspicious.
Erdoğan, who thanked the filmmakers who contributed to the festival from all around the world on behalf of himself and his nation, wholeheartedly congratulated all institutions that pioneered this meaningful film festival and took part in its organization.
Wishing that the festival would be an occasion to rethink the migration and its reasons through cinema, to create awareness on the social, cultural, political and economic dimensions of migration, Erdoğan continued his speech as;
"The issue of migration has been on the agenda of the world as a global phenomenon, especially recently. Millions of people have to leave their homes each year due to war, instability, terrorism, and poverty.
Today there are about 260 million migrants, over 71 million displaced people, and more than 25 million refugees worldwide. Most of the time, people migrate not only for a better job, for a higher standard of living but to survive, to earn their living.
We see that a significant portion of these journeys embarked on in search of a safe future result unfortunately in death and disaster. Over the past 8 years, 25 thousand people, most of whom were women and children, have died in the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean. The fate of 10 thousand Syrian children who have taken refuge in Europe is unknown."
"As Turkey, we have displayed a different stance"
"As Turkey, we have displayed a different stance in the face of this picture by the values we have inherited from our history and our culture", President Erdoğan said, and noted the following;
"As the members of a civilization who believe in the abundance of sharing and the power of solidarity, we did not discriminate against anyone. While countries with a lot more opportunities compared to us imposed dozens of quotas, we embraced everyone regardless of race, religion, language, and ethnicity. We treated the oppressed and disadvantaged people who took refuge in our country by offering the same opportunities we offered to our citizens.
We led comprehensive policies in almost all areas, from accommodation to health, education to social integration. However, throughout this process, we failed to receive the support we need from many countries who allegedly are dire defendants of democracy and human rights, which the EU is one of them. The promises made to Turkey have not been delivered, and our country was left to shoulder the burden of irregular migration all by itself.
Erdoğan, who stated that the migrants managed to reach Europe became the victims of racist, separatist, and alienating policies, further said: “The inhumane scenes we witnessed at the Turkish-Greece border last year are significant in laying bare the point of view towards migrants by certain western countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the inconveniences migrants face, making their already-vulnerable situation even more difficult.”
President Erdoğan underlined that even though the notion of refugee and migration was tried to be dealt with only within the scope of safety due to the irregular movement of people from Syria and Africa, it was a multidimensional issue.
Stating that the migration, which unites different lives and different stories, had always been the most effective tool of the cultural interaction, Erdoğan further said the following;
“Migration is at the same time a new union, it is people from different ethnic identities, religions, languages, cultures embracing one another. What is experienced during a migration period leaves new words in our language, new tastes in our mouths, and new associations in our memories.
The movie industry is a very powerful tool in telling the migration stories in an effective way, be they stories of joy or sorrow. I am so delighted to see that the richness and diversity migration consists of have been reflected in the International Migration Film Festival.
I believe we should leave our biases about migration aside and see the contributions migrants make to their new countries and communities. I would once again like to extend my gratitude to the valuable directors who took part in the festival with the stories of migration from around the world, as well as to the institutions and sponsors who supported the festival. My congratulations to everyone who worked on the organization of the International Migration Film Festival, which is the first-ever film festival of the world with unrestricted access.”