Yann Zopf, Director, Public Engagement; Tel.: +41 (0)79 204 1610, yann.zopf@weforum.org
Istanbul, Turkey, 29 September 2014 – It is a mistake to describe the fight against what is referred to as ISIS using the “old narrative of West against terrorism”, José Manuel Barroso, President, European Commission, told the World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting on Unlocking Resources for Regional Development, taking place in Istanbul on 28-29 September.
This misguided narrative is “exactly what can give fanatics justification to enter a holy war against democracies,” Barroso said.
“These terrorists are mainly a threat to Muslim countries and to this region. We need to see, first of all, the Muslim countries, the Muslim societies, say that they reject that (ISIS), because, in fact, these acts are made against the Islamic faith and against, of course, the basic principles in which we all believe,” he added.
One of the lessons learned over previous decades and many conflicts is that we cannot impose solutions from outside, neither by Europe nor the United States, the European Commission President said. The West cannot replace the efforts of people in the region to deal with the ISIS threat. To believe the crisis could be solved in this way would simply repeat the mistakes of the past, he added.
“We need the people in the round, in the region, to take up the issue and, of course, others can then act diplomatically, politically and sometimes even more than that.”
Barroso’s comments came in response to a question from Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum, who described the threat from what is known as ISIS as a “tremendous menace, and threat to our global civilization”. He asked Barroso whether Europe should act against what is known as ISIS in a “more coordinated and stronger way.”
“I think Europe is united on this matter,” Barroso said. “But, let’s be honest, we have 28 countries, 28 democracies, the sensitivities are not the same. At the core of the European Union there are clear differences, for example regarding mobilization of military resources.”
Barroso also told the meeting he was convinced EU enlargement would be ongoing and that Turkey would continue to be a major partner. To speed up the country’s negotiations with the EU, Barroso said he believed more social interaction was needed. Efforts were required to change the hearts and minds of some Europeans about the advantages of European integration and the important role that can be played by Turkey.
Barroso also highlighted the EU’s need for more than a successful internal market to engage its citizens. The post-second-world-war enthusiasm for European integration needed to be replaced with a new narrative, one that engaged with such issues as climate change, peace, democracy, freedom, tackling food and clean water shortages in the world. This emotional narrative had to be about Europe in the world, “not Europe imposing solutions, but proposing solutions,” said Barroso.
Notes to Editors
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