In the following months, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to hold a series of meetings in some important European countries which host large communities of Turkish immigrants. Due to economic needs, the Turkish population immigrated to a number of European countries such as France, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and especially Germany since 1963.
For decades, this population of Turkish immigrants tried to obtain a footing in these countries.
In that period of time, we sent a considerable number of our qualified workforce to industrialized European countries, which caused at least a 20-year delay for our own development.
Along with this, it was thought this workforce would not remain immigrants and return to Turkey when their work ended. Immigrantreceiving countries did not form special systems either for workers or their families. That is why a generation of immigrant children who grew up in Germany were classified at the level of challenged learners in the primary schools and found difficulty making use of the opportunities of prosperous European states.
A considerable number of people that immigrated in the first wave of immigration returned. However, Turkish workers that immigrated to EU countries in successive waves until 1973 and 1974 created a permanent diaspora in these countries. As the Republic of Turkey, we failed to fulfill any of the needs of this immigrant population.
Remittances that were transferred to Turkey by immigrant workers made an important contribution to the Turkish economy, which could not export any goods or earn foreign currency in that period. However, labor companies went bankrupt, which caused major mistrust between immigrant populations and Turkey.
After the 20th year of the immigration wave, a new and enterprising Turkish population grew and unified, especially in Germany but in other countries as well. Since then, the demands of the Turkish diaspora from their homelands became clear: They simply wanted to have the right to vote in Turkish elections.
All attempts by the AK Party on this matter were successfully prevented by the bureaucracy in several past elections.
All the developed countries across the world grant immigrants the right to vote by providing various opportunities, such as keeping election polls in embassies or through the postal service. As in a number of fields, Turkey was delayed in this matter. But it seems that Turkey will now live up to the standards of 21st century globalization.
The Turkish diaspora in EU countries highly favored Erdoğan in many previous meetings with him in European cities. This time, undoubtedly, the campaign meetings will be vigorous with the participation of many, arousing jealousy among EU politicians. However, it would be wrong to say that the diaspora is only made up of pro-AK Party voters and to regard this attempt as a means of winning elections.
In all EU countries, especially in Germany, all parties in the Turkish political spectrum are represented. But until very recently, there was a group which was subjected to such discrimination as "German Turk" and "Dutch Turk." It is therefore not strange that this group sympathized with Erdoğan since he was elected.
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