We like what we did

Last week was very exciting.

I had just started as the anchor for Kanal D primetime news and had asked you to invite me into your homes. Thank you very much for having done so. I would also like to thank those who didn't.

You might remember I was not presumptuous about what I was going to do. Many years of experience have taught me it takes time for such things to create their own niche and that it's really hard to break old habits. I know everything I need to about the competition. I will never violate my principles just for ratings.

The only thing I want is to present a new model to a market that has been dominated by rating concerns. It is a model under which competition is done over the content of the news, not over the TV ratings, and under which “made up stories” are replaced by scenes from real life.

I don't know if it will be accepted or rejected, but this is the menu we are offering.

One cannot expect people to welcome such a new stance with open arms; however, it would be equally wrong to judge it as a failure just by looking at the ratings of the first week.

I respect everyone's opinions. I have no objections to what was said or written; however, I am a stubborn person whose life has been governed in the belief in long-term goals. The entire team will work and fine-tune this offering until it is well liked by the people.

Isn't it better to aim for a higher point instead of trying to adjust to the standard?

We are happy with what we've done, but our aim is to make you happy, too.

We would like to thank all of those who invited us into their homes.

If the food is bad, Turkey will leave the table:

In the second part of our interview with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we talked about Turkey's relations with the European Union.

He is closely following what is being debated in Brussels and what kind of bargaining is taking place there. “We are not bargaining. They are bargaining amongst themselves,” he said.

The head of the government seemed very determined. He had drawn his red lines and had no intention of backing away from them.

He's just waiting to see the food that will be presented to him at the negotiating table on Oct. 3.

He will see if it's any good and will decide accordingly.

“If I don't like the food, I won't sit at the table,” he said.

The issue that angers him the most is the impression that the Greek Cypriots are being rewarded for their stance. They rejected a solution in a referendum while the EU told us, “You accept the solution and we'll do the rest,” but decided to renege on their promises.

This is what we call international relations. It is similar to a saying of former President Süleyman Demirel, “Yesterday is yesterday and today is today.”

Actually, Erdoğan doesn't doubt for a minute that the negotiations will begin on Oct. 3. He believes no matter what is said and done, an agreement will be reached and the talks will begin.

“The interests of both Turkey and the EU are in line,” he says.

If I have to summarize the impression I got from the prime minister, I can say this: “Turkey will sit at the negotiating table on Oct. 3. There is a chance that Brussels will cause some problems, but it's not probable. Don't take the harsh statements exchanged too seriously.”

That will not do Yazıcıoğlu:

AS statement made by Great Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu has created quite a stir. He justified recent lynching attempts and said: “If the state ignores what's going on, we will intervene.”

Yazıcıoğlu is making such statements just to gain the support of a part of the nation. It has nothing to do with responsible leadership. His statements are no different than irresponsible statements made by some Kurdish leaders. Wouldn't we be digging our own grave if we continued behaving that way?

Especially on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup and with the knowledge how we have progressed fresh in our minds, does it make sense to commit the same mistakes?

Voicing one's opinion is one thing, but openly inciting people is another.

When we compare the attitude of Yazıcıoğlu with that of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a huge gap is plain for all to see. I'm sure the ultranationalists also see this difference.