Later this year, Queen Margrethe II is due to visit Turkey as part of a Danish delegation along with the foreign minister, Kristian Jensen.
That might be a bad move, according to a number of detractors, who contend that the queen might be used for political gain by President Recep Erdogan’s government.
“It’s not good that Denmark is giving Erdogan a stamp of approval like this,” Naser Khader, the Konservative spokesperson for foreign affairs, told Berlingske newspaper.
“It’ll surprise me if they don’t cancel the trip. What is actually needed is strong international pressure on Erdogan. Before the Royal House and Kristian Jensen’s visit of Saudi Arabia some months ago, we were also told that the foreign minister would put human rights on the agenda. But what ever came of that?”
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Er-du-gal mand?
Journalist Pola Rojan Bagger, who has authored a number of books about Turkey, agrees with Khader and is convinced that the queen’s visit will be used to portray a positive picture of Erdogan.
The queen and foreign minister will be visiting Turkey as part of a Danish trade delegation and one that reciprocates the visit of the former Turkish president, Abdullah Gül, to Denmark in 2014.
