Kemal Atatürk and Switzerland
80 years ago, Turkey adopted the Swiss Code of Civil Law (a.k.a Zivilgesetzbuch, ZGB).
After a serious diplomatic row last year between Turkey and Switzerland over the responsability of the emerging Turkish Republic in the expulsion and death of several hundred thousand native Armenians, Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher will now visit Ankara to take part in the commemoration of the adoption of Swiss ZGB by Turkey. Kemal Atatürk was known as a autocratic ruler who not only ordered the creation of modern Turkisch language by academic linguistic specialists, but, and this may be more significant for the actual situation, forbade the use of the veil (chador)in parliament, universities and colleges. Swiss justice minister Blocher is himself well known for his autocratic tendencies. The fact that he has outmanoeuvered his female colleague, the social democratic minister of foreign affairs, Micheline Calmy-Rey on this journey, may add to his gratification that he will be able to pay tribute to another great autocrat. The only problem for him might be the fact that on the board of the joint Swiss Turkish Foundation for the study of the relations between the two countries, some of the fiercest oponents of his own policy are active. For details on the activities of the Foundation and it's board, see our link to "Stiftung Forschungsstelle Schweiz-Türkei"
Switzerland, in addition to the commemoration of the successful export of her civil law 80 years ago, will be able to expose her intern contradictions at the Ankara commemoration.
Will this later help Switzerland to develop more moderation when it comes to discussions on intercultural relations, migration, integration etc.?
And could this help the Turks themeselves to overcome their own internal conflicts?

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