Hürriyet Daily News published an article by Murat Yetkin headlined "Gauck updated EU outlook on Turkey."
"Some eyebrows were raised among Turkish government circles when German President Joachim Gauck had included a public speech at the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in Ankara, during his official visit to Turkey," the article begins.
The chosen place is quite symbolic, the author believes. "Being one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey (the only university from Turkey in the top 100, globally) ODTÜ is also renown with its traditional opposition stance, which has not changed, but even increased under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) government," the author writes.
Turkish officials were trying to downplay Gauck's statement, saying he is a ceremonial head state rather than an actual leader, when they learnt that he was going to criticize –though amicably– Turkey’s recent records on the rule of law, media freedom, the author informs.
According to the author, the German president uderstands the problems Turkey is facing. "As far as I could see, not only from the joint press conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gül and the speeches he delivered, but also a German Embassy dinner that I had the chance to attend that he is totally aware of the problems in Turkey, between Turkey and Germany and the EU and also the mistakes that Germany and EU have made regarding Turkey," Yetkin writes.
"For example, he is aware that pushing Turkey away from the EU all of the time has been counterproductive so far and it may have contributed to the authoritarian tendencies in Turkey, which is not good for Germany as well," he writes.
"In a way, with his words here, Gauck has updated Ankara with Germany’s, and actually the EU’s, recent outlook for Turkey," the author concludes.
