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European Commission Makes Courtesy to Turkey

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  • European Commission Makes Courtesy to Turkey

    AZG Armenian Daily #231, 02/12/2006


    Neighbors

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAKES COURTESY TO TURKEY

    European Commission Report Suggest Continuation of
    Negotiations with Turkey

    Recently Turkey has been involved in certain
    international political processes of considerable
    importance. After public insinuations as well as
    violent protest demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara,
    Izmir and other towns of Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI at
    last arrives in Ankara on November 28. Prime Minister
    of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, having received the
    Pope, hastily departs for Lithuania in order to take
    part in NATO summit.

    Meanwhile Turkey was refusing to dislocate its NATO
    troops in Afghanistan and Prime Minister Erdogan was
    having bilateral meetings with the heads of most
    outstanding European states in Riga, The European
    Commission made a decision of partial abeyance of the
    negotiations with Turkey.

    This decision will be considered by the EU Prime
    Ministers Council on December 11, Brussels. Unless the
    Prime Ministers come to consensus, the question of
    EU-Turkey negotiations will be reconsidered on the
    summit of December 14-15, 2006.

    No details of the 8 articles of the European
    Commission's resolution are reported. Therefore it is
    still unknown which spheres of negotiations will be
    affected. Only one thing is certain - Prime Minister
    of Finland Matti Vanhanen commenting on the resolution
    said that he stands for continuing the negotiations on
    Turkey's EU membership. President of France Jacques
    Chirac in connection with this issue said that the
    partial abeyance of the talks was EU's only choice.
    Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel expressed her
    approval of the resolution and stressed that Turkey
    must become a "privileged partner", but not member of
    the European Union. Her opinion was supported by Prime
    Minister of Denmark Anders Volk Rasmusen, while
    British Prime Minister Tony Blare warned the public of
    the possible negative consequences of halting the
    negotiations with Turkey.

    Certainly, Prime Minister Erdogan also responded to
    the decision of the European Committee. Moreover,
    according to the Turkish mass media sources, in the
    end of the NATO Summit in Riga, Erdogan expressed
    extreme indignation and anger about the decision and
    stated that was unacceptable. While in the airport of
    Ankara, Erdogan sharply changed his position.

    According to the Turkish Public TV, Erdogan reminded
    that the decision of the European Commission was no
    obligatory, but a consultative one. He added: "I don't
    consider this decision may freeze the negotiations.
    Only eight points were frozen. Moreover, it states
    that no end of the negotiations was envisaged in none
    of the 24 points of the decision. It means that no new
    restrictions will be carried out and those implemented
    will be annulled. The decision of the European
    Commission is not negative. There is no need for harsh
    response. We will consistently follow the path we have
    picked up," Erdogan said.

    Most likely, one should agree with Erdogan, in
    particular, from the aspect of the November 8 report
    on Turkey adopted by the European commission.
    According to the report, till December 14-15 Summit,
    Turkey has to open its airports and seaports to the
    republic of Cyprus. At the same time, French Foreign
    Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy stated that the EU
    membership schedule will be reconsidered, if Turkey
    doesn't take any welcoming steps to the Republic of
    Cyprus. On the contrary, the same decision taken by EU
    is considered to be another version of continuing the
    negotiations with Ankara within the framework of the
    same structure. Thus, the report that sounded like an
    ultimatum for turkey lost its force by the latest
    decision taken by the European Commission.

    How can we explain this contradiction? Certainly,
    Turkey's geographical position play's quite an
    important part in this issue. This factor makes EU
    consider Turkey as a bridge for penetrating to the
    Middle East and to Tran Caucasus and let it still
    exist in the political arena. Perhaps, that's why
    Europe never treated Turkey as a stranger even before
    the beginning of the negotiations for the membership
    to the European Union. On the eve of the negotiations,
    EU constantly creates preconditions for Turkey's
    membership, at the same time sparing no efforts to
    preserve good relations with this country.

    By Hakob Chakrian
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