A “Turkish Citizen” Opening from the Ministry of National Defense!

During the period when the AKP was transforming the country hand-in-hand with the Fethullah Gülen community and carrying out PKK openings, the main goal of the “new constitution” was to remove the definition of “Turkishness” from the Constitution. They argued that everyone expressing their ethnic origin and saying “I am a citizen of the Republic of Turkey” as a super-identity would solve the problems.

Although this goal has not been voiced much since the partnership with the MHP, it is known by everyone that the main target of the “new constitution” preparations, which are still on the agenda, is the issue of “Turkishness.”

There are others who have a problem with “Turkishness.”

For example, since last year, some publishing houses have started saying “Turkish-language Literature” instead of “Turkish Literature”...

We saw that even the word “Türkiyeli” (person from Turkey) was added to the Turkish Language Association’s Turkish Dictionary and then deleted following reactions...

Finally, last month, we heard a famous actor say, “I am from Turkey (Türkiyeli). I am a Turkey nationalist.”...

What Will Happen to Refugees During Mobilization?

Let the “Turkishness, being from Turkey” debate rest here; let us move on to another topic that was discussed 2 months ago but quickly forgotten.

On May 22, with Erdoğan’s signature, the 24-year-old “Mobilization and State of War Regulation” was repealed and replaced by a new regulation. The justification for the arrangement was to determine the details by regulation in order to comply with the Mobilization and State of War Law enacted in 2018 following the transition to the new regime, namely the Presidential Government system.

The most striking point in the regulation, which took place 6 years later and where almost all authority in mobilization and state of war is concentrated in Erdoğan, as in every other matter, was the inclusion of the term “uprising.”

Opposition parties and retired soldiers reacted to the regulation.

For example, CHP’s shadow Minister of Defense, retired Rear Admiral Yankı Bağcıoğlu, argued that the regulation negatively affects the effectiveness and combat capability of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and pointed out that the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command are evaluated in the same status as AFAD, the Red Crescent, or the relevant units of the ministries.

Claiming that these powers granted to a political party leader constitute a new martial law, CHP Samsun Deputy Murat Çan said, “The target is clear; they do not want another Gezi-like social movement to occur, they do not want a social reaction to arise in the face of a nature massacre as happened in Akbelen, they do not want a justice march to be held in the face of injustice,” and added the following:

“If it happens that a wave of illegal migration or the refugee problem causes social explosions, and things get out of control for the government, a regulation that makes even this situation a justification for declaring mobilization is now in effect.”

Süleyman Bülbül, Spokesperson for the CHP Group of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Justice Commission, said that many legal rights and freedoms are restricted with this regulation and that the way is paved for peaceful organizational actions to be called an uprising by the oppressive government.

Retired Rear Admiral Türker Ertürk also assessed, “Opponents could be considered enemies! Moreover, the President will be able to decide on this situation alone and declare a state of mobilization and war.”

Following the reactions, while a statement came from the Presidential Communications Directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation saying, “Do not give credence to baseless claims regarding the regulation,” AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik stated that the document was “updated in accordance with the changing geopolitics” and said the following:

“This document, which was implemented under the conditions of the 90s, underwent minor changes 6-7 times... In fact, since 2011, the opinions of all ministries, institutions, and organizations, that is, everyone who can be considered related to ensuring and maintaining the security of the Republic of Turkey, which we can call elements of national power, have been taken... There are very big changes in the world regarding the protection of the security of countries. But this document had started to be worked on earlier. The earthquake agenda also intervened. Now, all these things, how the elements of national power will support the mission of the Turkish Armed Forces to protect the country in a state of war, how they will come under its command; in this way, the opinions of all institutions were taken.”

Such an Answer Came

In this extremely detailed regulation, which was prepared over such a long time by taking the opinions of all institutions and organizations, shouldn't there be something regarding the refugee issue, which has become one of the most priority problems for our country?

This is exactly what retired Colonel Orkun Özeller wondered the most.

You know, the Özeller who, while serving at Incirlik Base in 2017, refused the medal the US wanted to give him by saying, “You are in cooperation with my enemy, the YPG,” and who was banned from entering TSK social facilities after retiring because he frequently drew attention to the refugee problem and revealed the state of our borders.

Five days after the publication of the Mobilization and State of War Regulation, Özeller applied to CİMER (Presidential Communication Center) within the scope of the Right to Information Law and asked the following:

“Since the issue of refugees, whose numbers have reached/will reach 20 million, is important in a state of mobilization, is there a section about them in the renewed directive? What will happen to those who have been granted citizenship and those who continue to live in our country under temporary protection status? If they are not to be given a mobilization duty order; I request information on the grounds for not giving it, what is foreseen for their positions while the whole country is fighting at the front, and what kind of course of action is considered.”

CİMER forwarded this application of Özeller to the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) on the same day. The MSB gave the following answer the other day:

“There is no section in our directive regarding the subject you mentioned.”

Pay attention; it is our country’s most important and priority problem, but there is no plan or planning regarding refugees.

The MSB’s answer does not consist of just this. Continuing, after reminding that “the process of recruitment for military service is carried out in accordance with the principles of being accepted into Turkish Citizenship,” the following was explained:

“In accordance with the mobilization legislation, considering the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, starting with young and newly discharged personnel, mobilization duty orders are given to citizens who are Turkish Citizens and have completed their military service, in accordance with the status of the personnel and the class, branch, and specialization in which they were trained during their active duty period, via the Ministry of National Defense Information System in a computer environment.”

Look at the absurdity; it says “Turkish citizen”!..

Whether it is by mistake or whether the MSB has also been caught in the “being from Turkey” wind is unknown; but in any case, it is a great pity!..