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ANKARA: EP's Lambsdorff: EU, Turkey Should Be In Strategic Dialogue

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  • ANKARA: EP's Lambsdorff: EU, Turkey Should Be In Strategic Dialogue

    EP'S LAMBSDORFF: EU, TURKEY SHOULD BE IN STRATEGIC DIALOGUE ON EAST MED

    Today's Zaman
    Nov 14 2011
    Turkey

    As tensions are high in the eastern Mediterranean -- from Cyprus to
    Syria and from Gaza to Egypt -- European and Turkish leaders should
    talk with each other more than ever as their interests and strategic
    goals in the region overlap, according to this week's guest for
    Monday Talk.

    Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, member of the European Parliament from
    Germany and vice chair of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and
    Democrats for Europe (ALDE Group), has said Europe and Turkey have a
    "real interest" in having a strategic dialogue.

    "We need to talk about these things and find solutions to these
    questions. It's very difficult, takes a long time sometimes, but we
    must avoid developing political ideas that would lead to a divergence
    of European interests and strategic goals and Turkish interests and
    strategic goals," he said in relation to challenges in the stability
    of the eastern Mediterranean.

    In a recent visit to İstanbul, he elaborated on the issue while
    answering our questions.

    You stress the point that the EU and Turkey need to renew their
    dialogue. Would you elaborate on this idea? Why is it important?

    Turkey is an extremely important country, and the European Union is
    very important, too. We have had a long and close relationship for
    many decades, but paradoxically, with the opening of the accession
    negotiations we've seen a cooling of the relationship because the
    process does not work well enough. That has led to loss of interest
    on both sides. Therefore, I suggest to continue with the accession
    process but also to look at other options for cooperation, integration
    and for common strategies between Turkey and the EU because I believe
    we need a positive atmosphere just as we need technical and political
    negotiations.

    The EU seems to have other priorities at this time other than the
    accession process.

    The EU is trying to stabilize the euro, and that takes a lot of energy
    as this concerns the welfare of our society. Enlargement is indeed
    much less of a concern to our citizens right now.

    There is a belief in Turkish society that Turkey's accession process
    has been stalled because of some of the leaders in the EU -- like
    Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy -- and there are anti-Turkey and
    anti-Turkish feelings in Europe. What do you think about this?

    In certain parts of Europe there are anti-Islamic feelings. I would
    not call this anti-Turkish; it is different. For me, a member of a
    liberal political party that advocates the strict separation of the
    religious from the political sphere, this is a completely unacceptable
    position in any kind of political debate. On the other hand, there is
    a legitimate political argument about the merits of Turkish accession,
    and there are some leaders in Europe who say it would be better if
    Turkey were not to accede to the European Union. As nobody expects
    that the negotiations will conclude in the next few years, however,
    this is not so important, as the entire European and Turkish leadership
    will have changed before a decision on Turkish accession has to be
    taken in earnest.

    'It is utterly unacceptable that the EU is incapable of admitting a
    majority Muslim country' You said there are anti-Islamic feelings in
    Europe. There is also Islamophobia. Which one do you think is more
    prevalent? What is the distinction between the two?

    I would not make a great distinction between the two. Some
    conservatives in Europe think of the EU as a club of countries that
    is incapable of admitting a majority Muslim country. This is utterly
    unacceptable. It is a minority position, not a position that is widely
    shared by citizens. If we reintroduce religion into politics, we open
    a Pandora's box. Europe has much experience with religion trying to
    dominate politics; indeed, our most terrible war was fought over that
    question, the Thirty Years' War from 1618-1648. At the end, the peace
    deal made sure that religion and politics were to be kept separate.

    Would Turkey's inclusion in the European Union help or not in
    eliminating Islamophobia or anti-Islamic feelings?

    The accession process of Turkey to the EU is a political process. It
    is not a social process, and it is not a religious process. From
    a political point of view, one needs to analyze whether it is
    economically feasible, whether it has political support and whether
    Turkey fulfills the acquis. All of those things must be checked but
    people should not have high hopes that membership of any particular
    country is going to change the minds of prejudiced people.

    Now that the French elections are coming up, do you expect that more
    anti-Turkey positions will be highlighted?

    I hope not. You may hear about two issues: one related to the Armenian
    question and the other to Turkey's possible European Union membership.

    On the Armenian question, everyone knows what the discussion is about,
    and on the EU accession, a clear majority of the French population, not
    just the leadership, is against Turkey's accession. So some politicians
    may choose to exploit those feelings by linking the Armenian issue
    with EU accession, and therefore create an atmosphere that makes it
    difficult for France and Turkey to rebuild a constructive relationship.

    'Strategic dialogue not replacement of Turkey's accession process'
    You also stress that Turkey and the EU need a strategic dialogue,
    aiming at cooperation rather than competition, especially in the
    eastern Mediterranean.

    The entire issue of stability in the eastern Mediterranean is
    difficult right now. We have a terrible situation in Syria, tensions
    between the Palestinians and Israelis, extremists in power in Gaza,
    a changing Egypt that becomes more difficult to predict, hardly any
    progress on the island of Cyprus and now in addition to that we see
    the exploration of resources off the coast of Cyprus. So the entire
    eastern Mediterranean right now is an area where challenges for the EU,
    the Middle East and Turkey overlap. Turkey and the EU member states
    are nearly all NATO allies. We need to talk about these things and
    find solutions to these questions. It's very difficult, takes a
    long time sometimes, but we must avoid developing political ideas
    that would lead to a divergence of European interests and strategic
    goals and Turkish interests and strategic goals. Therefore, starting
    in the eastern Mediterranean, we have a real interest in having this
    strategic dialogue. But if you look at other areas around Turkey like
    Central Asia, the Caucasus or sub-Saharan Africa, you have an active
    Turkish role in all of those areas, and you have an active European
    role in all of those areas. So why not compare notes and see where we
    can cooperate. There might be instances where we will have to agree
    to disagree. But then, as allies, we should be aware of that because
    if we disagree, we must be able to manage that responsibly.

    Do you hear any arguments in Europe against strategic dialogue
    with Turkey?

    No, not at all. The only argument I hear sometimes is from Turkish
    friends who are concerned that such a dialogue may become a replacement
    for the accession process, which is definitely not the intention. I'm
    glad therefore that the Turkish government has accepted this invitation
    to enter into a strategic dialogue.

    'Turkey's exclusion by France to participate in discussions over Libya
    was profoundly wrong' You emphasize Turkey's position more than the
    EU's, especially in relation to the Arab Spring. Would you explain
    the reasons behind this?

    If one looks at a map, it is clear that Turkey is a very important
    country in a very delicate area and has assets that it can bring to
    the discussion in relation to what is going on in North Africa and
    the Middle East. The Europeans should try to use these resources
    as we have a role in NATO. We are well advised in Brussels and
    in national capitals -- London, Paris, etc. -- to have a constant
    dialogue with Ankara. One thing that completely baffled me is that
    in the early stages of planning the Libyan military campaign, Turkey
    was not invited by France to participate in the discussion. This
    was profoundly wrong. Because whatever you think about accession,
    denying that Turkey has an important strategic role and is a crucial
    player is very short-sighted. After all, Turkey is the ally with the
    second largest armed forces inside NATO.

    Is the axis shift debate regarding Turkey still continuing in Europe?

    There was a fear for some time that Turkey may turn away from Europe
    and turn its back on NATO. In 2003, Turkey did not allow American
    troops to use its territory for the war in Iraq, and then came the
    deterioration in Turkish-Israeli relations. Having said all this, a
    closer analysis of Turkish foreign policy in its immediate neighborhood
    and in the regions with which Turkey was supposed to construct new
    axes does not make us think that the fears are justified. There is
    no Ankara-Tehran axis; there is no Ankara-Damascus axis; there is
    no Ankara-Moscow axis. Ankara's strongest axis is with Brussels and
    Washington, D.C. Strategically speaking, that makes sense. Europe is
    Turkey's economic future if the country wants to become a high-tech
    nation, and I believe it does. The US is the leading power in NATO
    and Turkey's security guarantee. Turkey's strategic interests are
    best met in the West and the North, even though the South and the
    East may be a bit more interesting than they used to be.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    'First, UN should try its best to resolve Cyprus issue' Turkish
    officials have said that Turkey will freeze relations with the European
    Union if Greek Cyprus is given the EU presidency in 2012. Do you think
    this would lead to a new low point in ties between the European Union
    and Turkey?

    Announcing a freeze of Turkish-European relations was not wise. One
    should recognize that Cyprus is not the only small country in the EU
    with a big neighbor who may not always like all the policies the small
    member decides to pursue. For example, if Latvia or Estonia holds
    the EU presidency and Russia is unhappy with some of the policies of
    these countries, Russia may decide to boycott the EU, and you could
    certainly expect that the rest of the EU would close ranks around
    these countries. For a candidate country -- and Turkey is a candidate
    country -- it is necessary to think through the implications of such
    a statement. I hope a constructive way of handling this issue can be
    found for the second half of 2012.

    If there is no solution found despite all efforts of the UN to the
    problems on the island of Cyprus, do you think the European Union
    should assume a role in solving the problem?

    We have had United Nations efforts for decades trying to resolve the
    situation on the island. Let's now have the UN try their best; they
    have our full support. If there is no solution found by the end of
    this year, it is everyone's concern -- the EU, Greek Cypriots, Turkish
    Cypriots and Turkey -- to find a new approach in solving this problem.

    If that means Europeanizing the process, it may be worth trying also
    because as an EU member state, Cyprus will have a special obligation
    to engage constructively in an EU-led process.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    'Turkish politicians say Europe is less important for them, but...'
    You hold talks with both ruling and opposition party politicians
    in Turkey and talk about the accession process. Do you see serious
    divergences in their approaches toward Turkey's EU accession process?

    While there is a certain frustration with the accession process on
    all sides, no responsible politician from either the government or the
    opposition has indicated to me that Europe was becoming less important
    in their opinion. There has been a set of developments in the Turkish
    neighborhood that has led to more activities vis-a-vis the countries
    in Turkey's immediate neighborhood. However, as I said above, if one
    takes a closer look at this trend, one sees that this has not always
    led to an improvement, be it with regard to Syria, Iran or Armenia.

    Europe is still Turkey's largest trading partner, the largest partner
    in direct foreign investment, the largest destination for migration and
    remigration, the source of high tech and know-how and so on. With 500
    million people and high purchasing power, the EU is the largest single
    market in the world. The proximity to Europe and NATO membership are
    the source of Turkey's strength, and responsible leaders in Turkey
    recognize this full well.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    'Regardless of accession, we must continue to work together'
    Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Germany recently
    to celebrate the 50th year of the start of Turkish migration to
    Germany. At a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel,
    Erdoğan complained that the [terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party]
    PKK was able to collect 6 million euros in Germany, and Erdoğan has
    criticized Germany for not dealing with the PKK, echoing similar
    remarks during a visit in February to Dusseldorf. What do you think
    the German government can do to deal with the PKK?

    Let me start by saying that in comparison to the resources available
    to the Turkish state and taking into account the wealth of Germany,
    6 million euros is a very small amount of money. It is surprising that
    the prime minister should even mention such a small sum. As for the
    PKK, it is considered a terrorist organization by German authorities.

    It is monitored by our domestic intelligence service; its activities
    are followed very closely by the police. As far as I know, no terrorist
    acts have been prepared, planned or carried out by PKK activists from
    inside Germany in a very long time.

    In an interview with the German Bild newspaper, Erdoğan criticized
    Germany's stand on Turkey's EU aspirations, saying the EU's largest
    member state had "abandoned" Turkey on the issue of EU accession. Your
    ideas on that.

    When negotiations started there was no political consensus about
    Turkish accession in Europe. Because of this, the negotiations were
    structured in a way that each and every member state can legally
    block each and every chapter of the negotiations. So now, we are faced
    with a blockade in the Council. But that is not Germany's fault. At
    the time, Turkey pushed for negotiations despite the obvious lack of
    support for Turkish accession in some very important member states. So
    when the prime minister criticizes Germany, he should consider that
    Turkey bears part of the responsibility for the current difficulties
    as well. All of us must recognize, however, that mutual recriminations
    are not helpful. We face so many challenges that we must move ahead
    and define a new positive agenda. We need a re-launch of a meaningful
    Turkish-European dialogue. Turkey and the EU must engage with one
    another in a constructive and respectful manner because no matter
    what happens regarding accession, we must continue to work together
    as neighbors, allies and friends.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    'We strongly favor a liberalized visa regime with Turkey' Is there
    any progress regarding visa liberalization?

    As European liberals, we strongly favor a liberalized visa regime
    with Turkey. We must make progress with visa facilitation for groups
    of travelers like students, business people, academics, artists and
    so on. In Germany, where we are in government, the talks are going on
    to find a solution to this problem. We try to push the conservatives
    on this.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    PROFILE Alexander Graf Lambsdorff

    Member of the European Parliament and vice chair of the Group of the
    Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Group), he is
    from Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP), which currently serves as
    the junior coalition partner to the Union (Christian Democratic Union
    and Christian Social Union) in the German federal government. He is
    the founding member of both the Atlantic Initiative Germany and the
    German-Turkish Foundation. He served in the German Foreign Office
    in 1995-2003.

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