NICOLAS SARKOZY: TURKEY BELONGS WITH MIDDLE EAST RATHER THAN EU
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 - 17:59 AMT 13:59 GMT
On February 25, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is arriving in Ankara
for a short visit. Meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are on visit agenda.
As Sarkozy noted in an interview with well-know Turkish journalist
Mehmet Ali Birand, a wish to keep Turkey outside the European Union
is explained by Turkey~Rs place in the region and the international
community.
~STurkey is a big country. It~Rs a bridge between the East and the
West; a country that has an irreplaceable role since it connects two
different worlds. This role, which today~Rs world needs more than ever,
cannot be played by any other country. That means Turkey is still an
unparalleled country.
For this reason, I believe it is necessary to have close ties between
Turkey and the European Union as much as possible without going
any further for full membership, which in fact could be beneficial
for neither Turkey nor the EU. I am not trying to insult anyone by
expressing this idea,~T the French President said, noting that Turkey
belongs with the Middle East rather than the EU.
As the President stressed in an interview published in Hurriyet Daily
News, ongoing EU-Turkey negotiations are an instrument to maintain
the depth in relations.
From: A. Papazian
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 - 17:59 AMT 13:59 GMT
On February 25, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is arriving in Ankara
for a short visit. Meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are on visit agenda.
As Sarkozy noted in an interview with well-know Turkish journalist
Mehmet Ali Birand, a wish to keep Turkey outside the European Union
is explained by Turkey~Rs place in the region and the international
community.
~STurkey is a big country. It~Rs a bridge between the East and the
West; a country that has an irreplaceable role since it connects two
different worlds. This role, which today~Rs world needs more than ever,
cannot be played by any other country. That means Turkey is still an
unparalleled country.
For this reason, I believe it is necessary to have close ties between
Turkey and the European Union as much as possible without going
any further for full membership, which in fact could be beneficial
for neither Turkey nor the EU. I am not trying to insult anyone by
expressing this idea,~T the French President said, noting that Turkey
belongs with the Middle East rather than the EU.
As the President stressed in an interview published in Hurriyet Daily
News, ongoing EU-Turkey negotiations are an instrument to maintain
the depth in relations.
From: A. Papazian