Davutoglu: "Turkey is going through an extensive transformation"

Turkey is going through an extensive transformation process that is not fully recognized by all members of society, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Saturday at the Seventh Bogazici Conference on Turkish-European Union Relations. "Turkey is going through an extensive transformation process, but there are some who remain in a Cold War mindset and are unable to grasp the various aspects of this transformation," Davutoglu said. "The (ruling) Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has made significant reforms since it came to power in 2002," he argued, but added that the constitutional changes made over the last eight years are not enough. In his speech, Davutoglu stressed the importance of respecting human rights and people as individuals. "Without such an understanding, you cannot talk about democracy. You need to respect each individual and citizen and his or her preferences." Moving to the headscarf issue, Davutoglu said "No one should be afraid of social mobility, which will carry traditional values to all walks of life, including universities. The headscarf issue should be considered in this context." He added, "This is the natural result of the democratic transformation. You can resist it for some time, but you can't escape it. The only solution is absolute rights."