“Cinema is a very powerful tool in telling the migration stories in an effective way”

21.06.2020

Addressing via videoconference the closing ceremony of the International Migration Film Festival, President Erdoğan said: “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. Cinema is a very powerful tool in telling the migration stories in an effective way, be they stories of joy or sorrow.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the closing ceremony of the International Migration Film Festival via videoconference.

“TODAY THERE ARE OVER 71 MILLION DISPLACED PEOPLE AND MORE THAN 25 MILLION REFUGEES WORLDWIDE”

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, President Erdoğan said: “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.”

Drawing attention to the different stance Turkey has displayed regarding the refugee issue because of the values it has inherited from its history and culture, President Erdoğan stated: “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.”

“THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS AGGRAVATED THE INCONVENIENCES MIGRANTS FACE”

Underlining that Turkey has led comprehensive policies in almost all areas for refugees, from accommodation to health, education to social integration, President Erdoğan, however, noted that throughout this process, Turkey failed to receive any support from many countries, including the EU, who allegedly are dire defendants of democracy and human rights. The President added that Turkey was left to shoulder the burden of irregular migration all by itself since the promises made to it weren’t delivered.

President Erdoğan, who stated that the migrants that 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, President Erdoğan added: “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.”