“We can not come to an agreement about the political and cultural identity of Turkey for years, with Claude-Jean Bertrand, who is a retired French professor and a well-known figure about media ethics in the world. I have been saying that Turkey was a European country and he has been telling me that we were not. I received a message from him on Tuesday and he said, “Dear Oktay, as you remember I have been telling you that Europe was an issue of family and it was impossible to enter a family by voicing some objections based on reason like, “It is unfair to exclude us”. But I frankly say now that I am very happy with Turkey’s placement in the first rank in Eurovision because this is an indication for the acceptance to the family, just as the evaluation of Russia and Israel as European countries.
“Sertab Erener did not only win a music competition, but also got an identity card from the European public opinion for Turkey. Music is the mirror of your –personal and national- identity. You can not like arabesque on one hand and become European at the same time. In short, Sertab Erener can only grow up in an environment that adopted the Western culture and for this reason it is the success of the Kemalist Turkey.
“I answered Claude-Jean Bertrand that, “Dear Prof. Bertran. I am still against emotional evaluation of results, which will be attained by reason. I am happy that Sertab Erener proved my opinion with her success.”
