OST KONFLIKT

I grew up in Germany with children from Eastern Europe and the Near East. Because I am half German, half Turkish, I am naturally comfortable with European as well as Middle Eastern culture. We children were not aware of our differences back then but felt like a harmonious family. It didn’t matter whether one was Muslim or Christian, whether he spoke Greek or Romanian.

The war in Ukraine came as a complete surprise for fellow Germans. Those who had no experience with Eastern countries were puzzled by what they perceived as a sudden outbreak of violence. However, we saw this crisis coming – it was foreshadowed by misunderstanding between two peoples and a rising feeling of distrust in the region.

I felt Europe couldn’t continue ignoring what is happening at its gates. We deserve to understand and those among us who benefited from foreign cultures due to their origins have the duty to explain.

As such, I regard it as my personal responsibility to help ordinary citizens by conveying information and analysis meant for specialists.