Commenting on an April 16 referendum for a switch to an executive presidency in Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu claimed on Saturday that European countries are campaigning against a system change in the country because they do not want to see a stronger and more stable Turkey.
“Did they start a ‘no’ campaign because they like Turks or Muslims?” Çavuşoğlu asked people in his hometown of Antalya during a rally in favor of a “yes” vote in the upcoming referendum.
“They [Europeans] know that Turkey will be stronger and more independent with the new system of governance,” Çavuşoğlu said and added that Europe has begun to realize that they cannot give orders to a growing Turkey.
It is widely argued by the government and its media that the West cannot stand a growing Turkey and has been conspiring against it.
Turkey’s foreign minister also argued that European countries are dragging the continent into a pre-World War II era. “Wake up already,” Çavuşoğlu urged Europeans as he called on them to come to their senses.
