Foreign Minister Fidan's confident walk and the Turks deported in Moldova

I don't really like traveling abroad. The main reason for this is the visa treatment applied to citizens of the Republic of Turkey.

Whenever I am forced to go abroad, rarely for journalistic activities or sometimes to see friends, family, or relatives, I find myself facing visa tension.

"Which country should we apply to, is there a long queue, how long is the waiting period, when should we apply, will they give us a short-term or long-term visa?"...

A lot of questions gnaw at our minds.

What really gnaws at me is what the Turkish people are subjected to...

We collect a mountain of documents for a 3-4 day trip, our fingerprints are taken, and we pay a considerable amount of money for the application...

Although my visa applications have never been rejected so far, I know that thousands of other people have experienced disappointment.

Meanwhile, citizens of countries that interrogate our entire lineage enter Turkey with ease...

Where is our reputation that brings the world to its knees? Where is the powerful Turkey that sets the rules in the new world order?

Just a few days ago, we were over the moon because Greece announced it would provide visas at the gate for the islands it has systematically occupied.

The pro-government media, funded by public banks and pumping all kinds of lies, deceit, and propaganda, has created such a perception world that it has managed to poison the minds of millions of people.

It is believed that Turkey is truly reshuffling the cards in the world.

Unfortunately, in Europe, the mere mention of "Turk" now makes people's hair stand on end.

EU locomotive countries, led by Germany, are signaling their sensitivity to smaller European countries regarding not granting visas to Turks. They are demanding that measures be increased.

Reputation is not earned by getting angry at the Netherlands and stabbing oranges, or by clashing with the German Chancellor during a press conference regarding Israel.

I saw a headline on social media in recent weeks: "Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's confident walk at the United Nations General Assembly became a trending topic on social media"...

The Minister is walking, for heaven's sake... What is this "confident walk" business...

The Minister may be very confident in himself... But we are not very confident about what we will encounter in visa queues or after getting off the plane.

Why am I writing this?

Moldova... Moldova, with a population of about 2 million... Moldova, whose citizens were working illegally in underground workshops in Turkey until just 10-15 years ago, is now deporting citizens of the Republic of Turkey who land on its soil.

By doing a simple search on social media, you can find countless videos where Turkish citizens explain how they were victimized in Moldova and how their pride was hurt...

On the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, there is an announcement stating, "The Agreement on Travel with Identity Cards was signed during our President's official visit to Moldova on October 17-18 and entered into force as of February 19, 2019."

But the situation is not like that at all.

Turks who have to go to Moldova for some reason are kept waiting at the airport for hours. Hungry, thirsty... They record videos to explain what they are going through and warn, "Do not go to this country."

So why?

One, there are those who interpret it as an effort to prevent Turks who want to go to Europe from Turkey and settle there.

Two, to prevent the entry into Europe of citizens of countries like Syria, Afghanistan, etc., who have obtained Turkish passports through certain means despite not being citizens of the Republic of Turkey.

Another claim is that Moldova, fearing Russian pressure, is trying to prevent the support of Turks who want to support Ukraine. But this is a weak possibility because they allow the passage of Turks who can prove they reside in Ukraine.

To conclude... As a result of what has happened in the last 20-21 years, Turkish citizens have lost their reputation in the world. They have become a people who are despised, battered, belittled, and unwanted. There is no sympathy left.

The reason is the AKP government, which sanctifies reactionism, moves away from science, reason, civilization, and justice, and suppresses the media.

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs frequently states that initiatives have been taken regarding visa rejections, there is no positive response. And developments are becoming more unpleasant every day. Citizens of the Republic of Turkey are being battered and humiliated.

There are two symbolic things that show a country's reputation in international relations. Both start with the letter P. Passport and currency...

Unfortunately, both our currency and the power of our passport are in the gutter. Who is responsible? Of course, foreign powers...