ANKARA
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday said that the new Turkish constitution should strengthen gains in democratization in the past 200 years.
Speaking at an international symposium held as part of celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court in Ankara, President Gul said that there should be no concessions made from the basic principles of the Republic such as democracy, secularism and being a state of law.
The new constitution should not forget that the state exists to serve its nation, Gul stressed.
We can not talk about justice where rights and freedoms of individuals are not taken under assurance
Gul said that "we can not talk about justice in a system where the rights and freedoms of individuals were not taken under assurance".
Speaking at an international symposium held as part of celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court in Ankara, President Gul said that the merit of law appears only if it provides for the manifestation of justice.
Constitutions should not be prepared with reactionary motives
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday said that constitutions should not be prepared with reactionary motives.
Speaking at an international symposium held as part of celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court in Ankara, President Gul said that those constitutions which try to correct the mistakes of the past can not carry societies forward.
Constitutions should not carry the marks of any ideas, political parties, ideologies and doctrines, Gul stressed.
We should not forget that a constitutional law that can protect us from our own power can also protect us from injustice if we do get weak, Gul stressed.
For the first time since the constitutions of 1921 and 1924, the Turkish nation has an opportunity to write a constitution with input from the nation, Gul indicated.
Turkey's Constitutional Court free from domination of covered guardianship
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday said that Turkey's Constitutional Court was free from the domination of covered guardianship with a history of 50 years.
Speaking at an international symposium held as part of celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court in Ankara, President Gul said that issues such as human rights and freedoms were no longer the domestic matters of states but now appealed to the joint conscience of the international community.
The most successful regional mechanism in the protection of human rights happens to be the Council of Europe of which Turkey is a founding member and the related European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Gul stressed.
The Council of Europe and the ECHR made great contributions to the protection of rights and laws and the development of freedoms in Turkey, Gul noted.
Nevertheless, we feel serious concerns on rising racism, anti-Islamism and xenophobia in Europe after the economic crisis, Gul stressed.
The votes of political parties which site immigrants as reasons for problems such as security, unemployment, crimes, poverty and all other social problems in Europe are on the rise, Gul indicated.
Major political movements in Europe make concessions to the radical groups in Europe with concerns of votes, Gul underlined.
Dealing with the West's illness of racism and xenophobia is a tougher job than dealing with problems in the East stemming from underdevelopment, Gul also said.
