Email |  Print | RSS | Comment |  

 Email |  Print

Fri, June 18, 2010 | Hürriyet Daily News

Islamist and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

‘Mon chers’ strike back at Turkish PM, accuse him of ignorance

Retired ambassadors hit back at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s criticisms of Foreign Ministry diplomats, saying no diplomat deserves to be the target of such uninformed speech, in a written statement they issued Friday.

“Foreign policy is a long-term and serious job. It’s a serious pursuit that requires knowledge, foresight and calm analytical abilities,” read the statement signed by many retired ambassadors.

Erdoğan often criticizes retired ambassadors who slam the government’s foreign policy, especially when there are concerns that Turkey is drifting away from the West. The prime minister calls them “mon chers,” a French term intended to humiliate the diplomats.

“Mr. Prime Minister has of late made a habit of sprinkling his speeches with phrases from foreign languages. He started with an English phrase at Davos with ‘one minute’ – lately he’s shown a liking toward ‘mon chers,’” read the statement.

Underlining that diplomacy was not an easy job and many diplomats face threats during their service, the statement claimed:

“Young or old, and regardless of rank, civil servants are in crisis areas in the most dangerous parts of the world. They represent our country, provide humanitarian aid, and carry out diplomatic contacts – and along with them there are those who provide management, technical and communication support. Who among them deserves this jeering?”

Recalling that this word was used during the Ottoman era, retired ambassadors asked whether Erdoğan was caught up in neo-Ottomanism.

“Foreign policy isn’t about bravery and adventurism. Those who claim to know history well need to remember the misfortunes brought to our country because of adventurous and imaginative cheap hopes – like the “mass prayer in Jerusalem.” The penalty for such free heroic acts being paid with the lives of our innocent people is a source of distress,” said the statement.