Overseas Turks Agency (TYB) Chairman Kemal Yurtnaç explained, in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman, the steps his organization plans on taking to address challenges with the blue card, which functions as a quasi-passport for those who give up Turkish citizenship to acquire citizenship in another country, and said they will draft new legislation to address problems faced by individuals who relinquish their Turkish citizenship.
Noting that close to 4 million of the Turks living abroad are in Europe, Yurtnaç said their first priority is to solve the problems there because they account for most of the problems reported to his agency.
Pointing out that Turkish citizens who want to become citizens of the country they live in experience problems with their rights in Turkey, Yurtnaç said: “These people can’t open bank accounts or buy property because their ID numbers are no longer active, but these citizens, who are estimated to number between 300,000 and 400,000, will no longer be treated like foreigners. They will not be registered in the Foreigners’ Registry but the Overseas Citizens’ Registry, which has been set up in the General Directorate of Population Affairs. That way, their ID numbers will be active, enabling them to exercise their rights.” Yurtnaç also noted that Turkish children born in Germany who do not have a record in Turkey’s registry will also be able to benefit from this policy.
Responding to Sunday’s Zaman questions about problems Turks face abroad and the agency, Yurtnaç said it was set up to address problems faced by Turks overseas. Noting that a research commission set up in Parliament to investigate these problems has conducted studies in various countries, Yurtnaç said the YTB was founded in accordance with the report prepared by the commission.
Explaining that the agency provides services to Turks living abroad and their relatives here, as well as students who come to Turkey on scholarships, Yurtnaç described it as a department that produces strategies to support and facilitate relevant institutions and nongovernmental organizations producing solutions.
He said that there are close to 6 million Turks in 155 countries and that they will create a database to keep an accurate record of those who have become citizens of those countries. Highlighting that close to 3 million of the Turks overseas live in Germany, Yurtnaç said they will pay close attention to the needs and questions of those people and will be able to function as a reference center when they come to Turkey.
Yurtnaç noted that they will consult with Turkish immigrants in Germany when preparing laws to address the problems of Turks residing in foreign countries. He stressed that one of the main problems is keeping the family together. Noting that many people who emigrate to Germany have trouble bringing their spouses, Yurtnaç said: “The government wants the spouses who seek to move to Germany to know a certain level of German, but the condition does not apply to French, Italian or Japanese citizens. What we’re saying is that we understand the demand for citizens to learn German for the sake of integration, but first let us stop dividing families. Let Turks go and learn German there because the best place to learn a different language is in the country where it is spoken. Give them an exam after a certain amount of time, and if they fail then you can send them back or take various measures to deal with the situation.”
Unlawful visas
According to Yurtnaç, the second biggest problem is the visa policy regarding Turks. “Stricter provisions were introduced even after the Additional Protocol was signed in 1973, which states that stricter measures cannot be taken on this matter. Then they introduced visa policies after 1980. We are saying these visa requirements are unlawful. Now they are talking about giving privileges to businessmen, politicians and athletes, but we don’t want discriminatory practices.”
Stressing that the inability of Turkish children in Germany to learn their native language causes a host of problems, Yurtnaç pointed out that people who can’t learn their native language properly can’t learn a second language properly, either. He noted that by opening kindergartens that provide lessons in Turkish and German, children can learn how to speak both languages and said: “Solving the language education problem will usher in equal opportunity in education. Turkish children go to the lowest level schools because they don’t know how to speak German. Once the language problem is solved, Turkish children will be able to go to the same schools as their German friends. They will be given equal opportunity.”
Noting that they understand Germany’s request for German-born Turkish religious officials to serve in Germany, Yurtnaç said this will help imams communicate better with German society. Yurtnaç explained that even if Turkey sends imams to Germany, it did so only after the imams have learned a certain level of German in Turkey and pointed out that an international theology project is under way to facilitate the effort. “As part of the project, the children of Turkish citizens living in Germany will be able to study theology in Turkey and return to Germany after completing their studies to help meet the need for imams,” he said.
zaman