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Tue, Feb 09 2010
EU’s message on Turkey’s accession hopes
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, left,Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Turkey's minister for EU affairs and chief negotiator Egemen Bagis at a news conference before their Turkey-EU Troika Ministerial meeting in Istanbul, November 26 2009.
Carl Bildt, the foreign minister of Sweden, the country currently holding the European Union presidency, has called for further progress in Turkey’s reform process, while hitting out as those who oppose Turkey joining the bloc on religious grounds.
An EU-Turkey meeting was held in Istanbul on November 26 2009, attended by Bildt, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and the country’s chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bağış.
"Turkey has changed a good deal since the country became an EU candidate 10 years ago," Bildt was quoted as saying in a statement by the Swedish EU Presidency.
"Many important democratic reforms have been implemented," he said.
"Our task now is to ensure that the accession negotiations and the reform process move forward, and that ongoing initiatives lead to tangible results," Bildt said. The EU also emphasised the importance of Turkey's full implementation of the Ankara Protocol.
Davutoğlu, according to the statement, reiterated Turkey’s support for the ongoing talks on a solution to the Cyprus issue, including the formula that is the basis of the negotiations.
Turkish media reports quoted Bildt as saying in a European Parliament debate the previous day that right-wing politicians in Europe were against Turkey's EU membership because Turkey was a Muslim country.
"But we are committed to article 49 of the Treaty of Amsterdam which does not have a religious criterion," Bildt said.
Today's Zaman said that Bildt said that the EU’s future enlargement should be considered a strategic issue, not a matter of public opinion.
"We are all aware that there are those in our respective public opinions that would prefer to just shut the door to all of them [candidates seeking EU membership], hoping that the issue would go away, and opt for a far more closed idea of Europe. I belong to those who are convinced that this would be a mistake of historic proportions - the consequences of which would haunt our Europe for a very long time to come," Bildt said.
A survey done between June 2008 and November 2009 in five EU countries revealed that a majority of Europeans, even in countries which officially support Turkish membership such as Britain, would vote "no" if there was a referendum on Turkey’s accession today, the newspaper said.
An EU-Turkey meeting was held in Istanbul on November 26 2009, attended by Bildt, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and the country’s chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bağış.
"Turkey has changed a good deal since the country became an EU candidate 10 years ago," Bildt was quoted as saying in a statement by the Swedish EU Presidency.
"Many important democratic reforms have been implemented," he said.
"Our task now is to ensure that the accession negotiations and the reform process move forward, and that ongoing initiatives lead to tangible results," Bildt said. The EU also emphasised the importance of Turkey's full implementation of the Ankara Protocol.
Davutoğlu, according to the statement, reiterated Turkey’s support for the ongoing talks on a solution to the Cyprus issue, including the formula that is the basis of the negotiations.
Turkish media reports quoted Bildt as saying in a European Parliament debate the previous day that right-wing politicians in Europe were against Turkey's EU membership because Turkey was a Muslim country.
"But we are committed to article 49 of the Treaty of Amsterdam which does not have a religious criterion," Bildt said.
Today's Zaman said that Bildt said that the EU’s future enlargement should be considered a strategic issue, not a matter of public opinion.
"We are all aware that there are those in our respective public opinions that would prefer to just shut the door to all of them [candidates seeking EU membership], hoping that the issue would go away, and opt for a far more closed idea of Europe. I belong to those who are convinced that this would be a mistake of historic proportions - the consequences of which would haunt our Europe for a very long time to come," Bildt said.
A survey done between June 2008 and November 2009 in five EU countries revealed that a majority of Europeans, even in countries which officially support Turkish membership such as Britain, would vote "no" if there was a referendum on Turkey’s accession today, the newspaper said.
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This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained foul, abusive or discriminating language
Can you tell me honestly which nation is guiltless.Dont talk before reading the history dear ignorants.I dont need to defend my nation.Truth is you are jealous of generous land Asia Minor and you try all tricks to get it but no need because Turks welcome all nations in country so go to Turkey and ask all foreigners permanently living there. (Russians,Germans at south/English at west/greeks,Armenians,Jews in Istanbul and Izmir) How many Americans living in Turkey do you know??İmportantly dont mix Turks with arabs due to Muslim religious.
Your trash comments supprots terrorists only.Discrimination is stupitness in this time of the world considering how many different nation people married and have kids so what is your real intend??
turkey want from other contry too respect the turkey people ,turkey respect the other nasionality in turkey????the turkey says europe is racist too the muslim,turkey is not with other nasionality???500.000 pontios greece dies by turkey 1922-1955-1974,2.000.000 armenian dies by turkey,kurd olso.contry with fuel genocide.shame too be turkey
turkey = fuel genocides (armenian,kurd,greece,cyprus)europe have big standart for all,you dont belong too europe.the barbarian in too e.u?the end of europe!!!!NO WAY.
Turkey won't join the EU. Apart from the EU not wanting it, Turkey wont need the EU. Get Isreal under control and all of a sudden you have a stable ME. A stable ME which will work very hard to dicredit Western views that it is backward. A ME that will be out to stick it up an EU which looks down on them. The key is, getting Isreal to agree to peace. The ME is Europes mess. It took a lot of dumb Muslims to get it to where it is, but the grand plan was devised in Europe - the Ultimate vengance against Muslims who so often shamed Christian armies. Peace in the EU doesnt suit the West - but they need Turkey as a buffer. Europe can go on about human rights & equality all it wants. The truth is that at the end of the day, those who arent Europeans (i.e. migrants) will always be considered second class citizens - so who cares about the great law(s) of the EU when your fellow citizens don't truly accept you. Europeans have put everthing on paper but forgotten how to be real humans.
Turks just want into EU for the social welfare payments...start by recognizing Turkish genocides against Bulgarian and Armenians...[plus ethnic cleansing of Greeks in Asia Minor..PLUS they elect Erdogan who is 100% anti Semite!
What a pathetic and racist comments came from Venev!!
Venev, can you please explain that have you been in Turkey before? Ofcourse not. Please visit turkey someday (you will not need visa) and compare it with Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia even with Greece. Than you will exactly stop your trash talking.
Huge and dynamic economy, modern country, no racism, under 1% of population as radical Muslim.
What a shame for you!! You have not any information but you have too many ideas like armenians kurds etc..
Russia and Ukraine should be allowed .
If anti-Muslim prejudice were the only obstacle, it could still become a EU member one of these days, but the tectonic shift is not driven by whoever is in power in Paris, Berlin or Vienna. It is driven by a growing concern in the EU that global warming is going to generate huge numbers of desperate climate refugees in Africa and the Middle East who will try to get into Europe.
If this view comes to prevail in the EU, the main question becomes: where do we hold the line against waves of climate refugees? Should we try to control the frontier along the eastern borders of Greece and Bulgaria (about 300km), or bring Turkey into the EU and try to control 1100km of borders with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Georgia? It's not rocket science
Who is talking about humanism ? is this what the invasion of Cyprus was ?? Is this the experience of the Armenians and the Kurds?
It is exactly to protect humanism that turkey should be kept out of the EU...
The UK foreign policy under Blair , including the war in Iraq ,is a disaster !!! This will not continue any more . UK wants turkey in to dilute Germanan, French, Dutch and Austrian leadership.
jquelle writes: "For a union of nations that are largely humanist-secularist..."
Humanist union????, in which definition of word "humanism" the religions difference is a liability, or a variable to be criticized ?? As it looks, Europe and humanism are oxymorons when put together....I would use the word "swastika", when defining Europe..
I think a bigger issue is of the EU. Whether Turkey is admitted to EU, as agreed upon on paper, or not admitted, one outcome is this: EU failed miserably in this process by showing its true ugly face (the Nazi face that is), by using cultural differences as an obstacle.
I cannot believe some folks commenting on this page and their elected leaders (French, German, or Austrian) are so openly racists and bigots.
Shame on you Europe, the word humanism is a joke to Europe after this point.
For a union of nations that are largely humanist-secularist, to attempt to absorb a nation with 99% of it's populace embracing the most radical religion on earth, would clearly be a grave mistake. Any fool should see that. It might look good in the short run, for economic reasons, but in the long run, there will be hell to pay.
Conversely, admitting Russia would be a major drag in the short run, but in the long run, it would prove far more prudent and successful.
NE SIKMEK ONLAR DIYE TURKLAR!
In addition, the EU will be 500 mln soon , why would it need the turks ??
To help improve its relations with Iran ? It is America who created the Iranian problem.#
The EU membership is the "carrot" that is waived in front of turkey's nose to keep it on track ... But it will never happen.
The EU does not need Turkey in, it is the UK that needs it, so that it dilutes German and French partnership and leadership ...
I live in Canada and cant believe how conservative the Europeans are as compared to North Americans! Europe still live in the past and forget about the new dynamic forces that are shaping the world. Turkey should continue to strengthen is relations with all the countries in the east including russia, arabs, iran china india etc. Europe has the lowest GDP growth for years and oldest population. Turkey should continue with the reforms and use its enormous potential in the country and to the east.
Venev
Why would it be? Is this based on the past, religion and bulgarians racists views to many nations. It was a mistake to let bulgaria into the EU in its present corrupt state. Turkey has a lot more to offer than recent addition to the EU.
THE TURKISH JEWS HAVE A RIGHT TO TAKE THEIR GREAT COUNTRY INTO THE EU. IT'S NOT UP TO ANTI-SEMITES IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA & FRANCE!
if turkey be part of europe,the be the end of europe.
I do agree with Zeynep totally. EU needs Turkey's dynamic economy and its large markets. It became clear that its expansion into SouthEastern Europe was a purely political move and despite the support of the EU public opinion now creates a great deal of headaches. Opposing Turkey's entry into EU on shallow historic biases and feuds is a primitive one. Visit Turkey to get a better idea.
If the people of Turkey were allowed a referendum on whether to join the EEC, then they would vote NO. Turkey is well on its way in becoming an economic giant for all its problems. They do not need the EEC, the EEC needs Turkey.
it will be a mistake of historical proportions to let Turkey be part of the EU .This should never happen against the will of the European people.