Patience My Donkey(Olme Esegim Olme)

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Turkey Renounces Eu

Turkey renounced the negotiations about the membership to EU which were to take place on October 3, the Foreign Minister of Turkey Abdullah Gyul announced. He said that the EU must keep Turkey aware of its plans.

In any case, according to the Foreign Minister, the sides continue to work in order to eliminate the disagreements.

The Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Tayip Erdoghan in his turn announced that Turkey will participate in the negotiations but will not accept the EU conditions. Let us remind you that the EU conditions put forward against Turkey referred to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and Greek Cyprus.
© "A1Plus"

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Armenia Patriarch: Turkish EU Bid Critical

Armenia Patriarch: Turkish EU Bid Critical By LOUIS MEIXLER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 4 minutes ago


By LOUIS MEIXLER, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey - The head of the Armenian church in Turkey warned European leaders that postponing Turkey's bid for EU membership could undermine efforts to bring together the Muslim East and the Christian West.

Turkey has worked hard to implement criteria required by the European Union and has "been steered toward real change on the democratic road," the leader of the largest non-Muslim group in Turkey, Patriarch Mesrob II of the Armenian church, wrote in a letter released Friday.

"However, because of oppositionist and suspicious attitudes directed toward Turkey, it seems as though it is being forced to take backward steps and turn in on itself," he wrote.

The Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's 200 million Orthodox Christians also released a statement in support of Turkey's bid to join the 25-nation European Union amid growing frustration over delays in membership talks.

Turkish nationalists planned a rally in Ankara on Sunday, the same day EU foreign ministers were to hold an emergency meeting in Luxembourg aimed at overcoming Austrian objections to starting entry talks with the poor, predominantly Muslim nation.

Austria's insistence that Turkey be offered the option of a lesser partnership with the EU have thrown plans to begin formal entry negotiations on Monday into disarray.

Turkey has threatened not to attend the talks unless it is satisfied the EU will offer nothing less than full membership.

Minorities in Turkey have strongly supported the country's EU bid in the hopes it will lead to greater democratic reforms and freedoms. Turkey already has enacted sweeping changes aimed at gaining EU membership, such as abolishing the death penalty and passing laws that improve democracy.

Mesrob urged EU leaders not to postpone Turkey's quest for membership. There are fears that if the EU bid collapses, nationalism in Turkey will rise.

"Such undesired developments will be a blow not only to Turkey and Europe but to reconciliation between East and West," he wrote in the letter, which was sent to EU foreign ministers ahead of their Sunday meeting.

Armenian Christians, numbering 70,000, belong to the remnants of a community largely destroyed by deportations and massacres at the time of World War I.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christianity, said in his statement that "Turkey definitely has the right to be part of this union."

The patriarchate dates back to the Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which ruled the region from Constantinople, now called Istanbul.

European opposition to Turkey's membership bid is increasingly leading Turks to question their decades-long dream of being the only predominantly Muslim country to enter the union.

"Some circles in the EU are anxious to anger and humiliate Turkey as much as possible so that the indignant Turkish nation simply forces its government to scrap the EU dream," chief columnist Ilnur Cevik wrote in The New Anatolian.

Columnist Hasan Cemal was more blunt.

"There is no end to the dynamite being thrown" on the EU path, he wrote in the Milliyet newspaper. "They think that Turkish public opinion is a stone of patience. It isn't."

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Armenia Wants A Neighbor That Revalues Its History And Respects Democratic Values

On the eve of the EU-Turkey negotiations on 3 October, the National Press Club organized discussions with the participation of central political parties of Armenia.

Representative of the Republican Party, Samvel Nikoyan, said that Armenia is not the only country that is interested to see Turkey revaluing its history and adhering to democratic values, respecting human rights and rights of national minorities. Khosrov Harutyunian, chairman of the Christian-Democratic Party, thinks that in order to have such a neighbor, Armenia has to use the created situation and to put certain Armenian issues into the European bunch. Representative of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Kiro Manoyan, stated that what is important in Turkey-EU relations is that the former carries out reforms before becoming a member but not post-factum.

Chairman of the Democratic Party, Aram Sargsian, is sure that Armenia should view Turkey's accession to EU not only in the context of the Armenian Genocide but also in the context of geopolitical developments, considering the prospects of Iran-Turkey rivalry and Israel's interests that Turkey voices.

Political analyst of daily Azg, Hakob Chakrian, reminded of the New Neighborhood project realization of which supposes Turkey's membership. Armenia, being supporter of the project, cannot meanwhile oppose Turkey's bid.

Arsen Avagian, adviser of RA foreign minister, informed about official Yerevan's stance on the issue, according to which Turkey's membership will be viewed as positive if it stems out of materialization of the foreseen reforms and not of a political decision.

By Nana Petrosian

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At Turkey’s heart, a major paradox

A letter by Turkish Ambassador to Paris Uluc Ozulker that was published yesterday in the French daily Le Figaro in which he portrayed Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, who is based in Istanbul, as a local religious leader is one more piece of evidence that our eastern neighbor is far from ready to come under the European Union roof. Turkey has a long path to tread before reaching the EU’s political and institutional standards. European political culture is even further away.

The letter by the Turkish envoy pales in comparison to the legal suit against acclaimed novelist Orhan Pamuk (after his comments about Turkey’s killing of Armenians and Kurds) and the court decision halting a conference on the Armenian massacre under Ottoman rule. But the political origins of the incidents are common — they are all products of Ankara’s state ideology. Although clouds are gathering over Turkey’s EU ambitions, Ankara continues to provoke people’s democratic sensitivities. Sure, Turkey is not trying to put additional obstacles in its path; its reaction is in keeping with its character — and it is not willing to change mentality and practices.

True, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken significant steps in introducing EU-minded legal reforms. But their implementation has been sorely lacking. Moreover, Ankara seems more interested in formalities than in real implementation. It all seems to boil down to the big paradox at the heart of the Turkish establishment: Ankara is, on the one hand, in favor of EU membership, but, on the other, it fears that European principles could also unmake Turkey.

Caught up in this internal contradiction, Ankara wants membership without having to adapt. Above all, it insists on seeing itself as a fortress state. Its diplomatic maneuvering underscores a desire to join the bloc on its own terms. In short, Turkey wants the rights without the responsibilities, which demonstrates that the candidate country is a complete stranger to European political norms.

There is no such thing as Europe a la carte. As time goes by, Turkey will be faced with an inescapable dilemma. It will either launch the process that will transform it for good or the enterprise of full membership will degenerate into a special partnership. Turkey has no place in the European house unless it remakes itself.

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Turkish PM tells Austrian chancellor EU partnership proposal unacceptable

Saturday, October 1st, 2005
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Austria's chancellor Saturday that Turkey will not accept a lesser partnership instead of full EU membership, and the Turkish leader also confronted Austria's ambassador at a reception, Turkish media reported.

Erdogan told Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel that Austria's proposal for a privileged partnership with the European Union instead of full membership was not an option, CNN-Turk reported. The semi-official Anatolia news agency also reported that Erdogan called the Austrian president.

European Union foreign ministers were to meet Sunday to try to persuade Austria to drop its objections to starting membership negotiations with Turkey, which are scheduled to start Monday.

Turkey has said it will not attend negotiations if offered anything less than full membership.

After more than 40 years of aspiring to join the European Union, Turkey feels it is being held hostage on the eve of negotiations by Austrian leaders using Turkey as an issue in upcoming national elections.

Erdogan, dressed in a tux at a reception to celebrate the opening of a new parliamentary session, told the Austrian ambassador, "If you continue to play politics like this, you'll fail in the next election," both CNN-Turk and Anatolia reported.

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Turkey is still far from ready to have a seat at the EU negotiating

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Oct 1 2005


By Hratch Varjabedian
Commentary by
Saturday, October 01, 2005


The European Union will start membership negotiations with Turkey on
October 3, more than 15 years after Turkey's application to become a
full member of the European Economic Community in 1987.

Turkey's rapprochement with Europe started long before, however, when
the Ottoman Empire reached the gates of Vienna in 1697 only to suffer
a major defeat and be forced to sign the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699
which put an end to its westward expansion. Turkey has been known as
the "sick man" of Europe ever since, but its efforts to integrate in
Europe started gaining momentum again in the 1950s.

EU leaders decided during their December 2004 summit that Turkey was
ready to sit at the negotiating table for full membership. However,
many prominent European politicians, such as former French president
Valery Giscard d' Estaing, staunchly oppose Turkey's membership of
the EU.

The vast majority of European citizens in countries such as France
and Austria also oppose Turkish membership and express concern at the
dire consequences of such an event.

A look at the current situation of Turkey on the political, economic
and social levels explains these concerns. Territorial disputes with
neighboring countries, rule by the military, a record of repression
of minorities and human rights violations, economic underdevelopment
and low indicators of human development render Turkey unable to match
up to EU member countries and unsuitable for membership.

Politically, Turkey continues to be an invader of Cyprus' territory,
a neighboring country and a member of the EU. Despite pressures from
EU leaders to the contrary, Turkey still refuses to officially
recognize the Republic of Cyprus and instead is the only country to
have recognized the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Democracy and the rule of law are common victims in Turkey, where
despite pretenses of a secular democracy, occasional outbreaks of
violence and gross violations of human rights attract the attention
of the world media, reminding the world of Turkey's true character.

Turkey's repression of its Kurdish population and other minorities in
the country continues despite some reforms. Freedom of expression is
often curbed; recognition of the Armenian Genocide and statements in
favor of Turkey's withdrawal from Cyprus are considered punishable
crimes under the newly reformed Turkish Penal Code.


Despite increased international pressures and recognition by the
world community of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Ankara continues to
practice an official policy of denial. Countries recognizing or
planning to recognize the Armenian Genocide are threatened, an
official blockade is still applied against Armenia and lands
rightfully belonging to Armenians, namely Western Armenia, are still
occupied in Eastern Turkey. In an attempt to conceal the Armenian
identity of these lands and erase traces of Armenian existence on
them, Turkey regularly destroys centuries-old Armenian monuments.

Economically, Turkey suffers from high unemployment rates, large
government debt and impoverishment, especially in the central parts
of Anatolia. Life in these regions is still primitive and poor in
comparison to most European cities.

In the case of full membership, the EU would have to make large
investments to put Turkey's economy on a par with that of other
member countries. Unemployed Turkish citizens would spill in their
millions across the border to Europe.

Turkish values, beliefs and lifestyles fundamentally differ from
those of Europe; the two parties have gone through a completely
different course of development over the centuries. Respect for human
rights, freedom of thought and expression and the value of an
individual human being are the values on which the EU is based. In
Turkey, these are more often victims than values.

Turkey is still far from ready to have a seat at the negotiating
table for EU membership. Now that the negotiations are set to start
however, EU leaders should demand real and tangible changes from
Turkey. The future will show just how much Turkey is prepared to do
for EU membership.



Hratch Varjabedian is an Armenian journalist in Lebanon. He wrote
this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.

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What is the status of Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union (EU)?

Turkey’s EU Bid
Author: Esther Pan


September 30, 2005



Accession talks between Turkey and the EU are scheduled to begin Monday, October 3. However, last-minute opposition by Austria may prevent the unanimous vote of EU members required for negotiations to begin. Turkey has been trying to get closer to Europe since 1959, when it applied to join what was then the European Economic Community. But many Europeans fear that allowing the poor, populous, Muslim state to join the EU will flood Europe with poorly-educated immigrants. Britain, which currently holds the EU presidency, has called an emergency ministers’ meeting October 2 to address Austria’s concerns. Turkey has threatened to withhold its delegation to the talks if EU ministers cannot work out their differences. “This is political brinksmanship within the EU,” says Steven Cook, Douglas Dillon fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “There’s a risk of a real breach in relations between Ankara and Brussels.”

What is Austria’s opposition?
Experts say Austria is culturally opposed to Turkey joining the EU. Austria is the remnant of the Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empires, historic rivals of the Ottoman Empire that preceded Turkey; Ottoman Turks laid siege to Vienna in 1529 and 1683. Today, Austria and a few other EU nations want to offer Turkey a “privileged partnership,” or associate member status, instead of full membership rights. Austria also wants to change the framework of the current negotiations so their end goal is not explicitly Turkish accession. Instead, the talks would be an “open-ended process” whose results are not guaranteed. Austrian EU Ambassador Gregor Waschnagg said September 21 that much has changed since Europe granted Turkey the right to begin accession talks in December 2004: France and the Netherlands rejected the EU Constitution this summer, EU ministers haven’t agreed on a new budget, and opposition to Turkey’s membership in the EU is growing rapidly. Some 80 percent of Austrians oppose Turkey joining the EU, according to The Economist.

Austria also supports Croatia’s EU entry, which is stalled over Croatia’s lack of cooperation handing over war criminals. Austria is threatening to block Turkey’s accession talks unless the EU opens Croatia’s as well. “The Austrians are playing a blackmail game with the EU,” Cook says.

How do most European countries feel about Turkey joining the EU?
Most EU ministers have reservations, experts say, but agree the process should move forward. Britain, Spain, and the Nordic countries support Turkey; even Greece, a historical Turkish enemy, supports its bid. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said this month that a European Turkey is in everyone’s interest. However, strong elements in Germany, France, and the Netherlands oppose Turkey’s bid. Angela Merkel, head of Germany’s CDU party and potentially Germany’s new chancellor, is against Turkish accession. French voters recently passed an amendment to their constitution saying all EU membership deals after 2007 must be voted on by referendum. And a recent German Marshall Fund report on Transatlantic Trends (PDF) said support for Turkey’s membership was 11 percent in France, 15 percent in Germany and 32 percent in Britain, with over 40 percent undecided in all three countries.

What are the main issues Europe is concerned about?
They include:

Demographics. Turkey is huge, poor, and Islamic. Its population of 70 million would make it one of the largest—and fastest-growing—members of the EU. Western Europe has a declining birth rate and needs young workers to prop up its elaborate social pension schemes. However, many observers question whether Turkey can ever fit into the overwhelmingly Christian EU.
Human rights. Many European countries say Turkey has not done enough to bring its human rights practices in line with strict EU norms, especially on respecting democracy and the rule of law, protecting human rights, and guaranteeing the rights of minorities.
Cyprus. Cyprus is a former British colony that has long been divided between the Greek Cypriot majority and a Turkish Cypriot minority. In 1974, Greek Cypriots tried to take over the government; in response, Turkey invaded and took control of the northern third of the island. The latest round of UN-sponsored talks led to a referendum on unification in April 2004; Turkish Cypriots voted yes, while Greek Cypriots voted no. Cyprus was accepted into the EU anyway, as a new member on May 1 2004. In July 2005, Turkey included Cyprus in an expanded customs union—which offers preferential trading terms—with new EU countries. However, Ankara refused to recognize the Greek Cypriot-led Republic of Cyprus. EU ministers have demanded Ankara recognize the divided island or jeopardize the accession negotiations.
Armenia. The Ottoman Empire carried out a campaign to eliminate its Armenian population between 1915 and 1923. More than one million people were killed in paramilitary raids, work camps, or death marches. The EU calls this campaign genocide and wants Turkey to acknowledge it; Ankara refuses.
What are the main benefits to Europe if Turkey joins?
Experts say letting a country that is 99 percent Muslim into Europe will send a powerful message to the Arab and Muslim worlds. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said this month, “By welcoming Turkey, we will demonstrate that Western and Islamic cultures can thrive together as partners in the modern world.” Turkey is already an important European trading partner, and its population would be both a vast market for European goods and a ready labor force. In addition, Turkey occupies a strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Its cooperation would aid the EU on everything from the economic challenges posed from the rise of India and China to fighting terrorism, addressing international crime, and monitoring climate change.

What has Turkey done in its quest for EU membership?
“Turkey has met every legal criteria to begin talks,” Cook says. The country has implemented a host of political reforms, including abolishing the death penalty, allowing greater freedom of speech, and increasing rights for its Kurdish minority. Turkey supports EU foreign policy and has troops stationed in Bosnia as part of an EU military mission there. In May, Ankara passed a new criminal code that established a more progressive national legal system—although experts say the law’s impact will depend on how it is implemented. Over the course of the accession talks—which are expected to take at least ten years—Turkey will be required to adopt more than thirty chapters of EU law, covering everything from foreign policy to environmental protection.

What are Turkey’s current economic ties with Europe?
Turkey established a customs union with the EU in 1995, greatly increasing the volume of trade between Ankara and EU member states. The EU is now by far Turkey’s biggest trading partner, particularly in agricultural and steel products. Turkey has also recently liberalized its banking laws and removed state controls from markets including electricity, telecommunications, sugar, tobacco, and petroleum. While the proportion of its population working in agriculture is still high, Turkey is transitioning to a service economy.

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Modern-day mistrust of 'spectre' dates from 1529

ALLAN HALL


AUSTRIA'S mistrust of Turkey and its accession to the European Union is rooted in history but is also a product of a modern-day mindset.

Visitors to Vienna's History Museum are reminded with vivid display cases of fearsome armour, lances and swords of when, in 1529, the Ottoman Turks tried to take the city.


But while this old image of besiegers at the gates looms large in the national consciousness, it is the Turkey of today that frightens those opposed to the country's entry into the EU.

The repression of women and of Kurds, torture claims, a "corrupt" legal system and a frightening penal one is what many Austrians say influences them to reject Ankara's bid to move from the eastern world to the West.

That and the religious question. Like Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel in Germany, many fear the Catholic identity of Austria being lost in wave of Islam.

Austria's declining birthrate and Turkey's rising one fuels fears of a new wave of "gastarbeiter", or foreign workers, taking not just jobs but a perceived national identity rooted in Christianity.

Paul Scheuble, a political commentator, said: "Austrians feel they are in a small country and should not be ignored on this issue which will have consequences for them and the whole of Europe.

"It is a strong feeling. Not often has a single issue united so many."

It took a newspaper in the neighbouring Czech Republic, Prague's Hospodarske Noviny, to sum up the mood prevailing in the Alpine state. Borrowing from the opening sentence of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, it stated: "A spectre is haunting Europe, the spectre of Turkey."

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Straw holds out hope for Turkey's EU entry talks

By Daniel Dombey in Luxembourg and Vincent Boland in Ankara
Published: October 3 2005 03:00 | Last updated: October 3 2005 03:00

Britain failed last night to clear the last hurdle to the opening of European Union negotiations with Turkey, but held out hope that a deal could be reached today.


At a late-night foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, Jack Straw, UK foreign secretary, failed to overcome objections from Austria, which is insisting that the EU water down its commitment to Turkish membership. The EU's leaders promised last December that the negotiations with Ankara would begin today.

"It is a frustrating situation but I hope and pray that we may be able to reach agreement," said Mr Straw, who chaired the talks as part of Britain's presidency of the EU. "We made some progress in respect of the draft text but obviously not sufficient progress."

Mr Straw was set to continue informal negotiations overnight with Ursula Plassnik, his Austrian counterpart, in an attempt to reach a deal that could be agreed by the whole EU this morning. "We are working on it," said Ms Plassnik. "We are not against opening negotiations with Turkey."

However, Austria wants the EU to spell out plans for alternatives to membership in the formal "framework" for the negotiations, while Turkey says it will only begin the talks if they are unambiguously aimed at its accession to the EU.

In the negotiations last night, Ms Plassnik called for greater emphasis of the limits of the EU's capacity to absorb new members, which would become more of a formal condition for Turkey's entry into the EU. Austria also sought to tone down the principle that "the shared objective of the negotiations is accession". But Britain, and many other EU delegations, said the proposed amendments were unacceptable.

The impasse came after Turkey's prime minister warned the EU yesterday that it faced a choice between becoming a global power or a "Christian club".

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Europe would squander the chance to overcome longstanding Christian-Muslim suspicions if it stepped back from its commitment to full membership for Turkey.

"This is a test for the EU," Mr Erdogan told members of his ruling Justice and Development party in a regular Sunday address. "The EU will either decide to become a global actor or it must accept that it is a Christian club."

Mr Erdogan's comments reflect a central theme of his campaign that getting Turkey into the EU would help build a bridge between Christian and Muslim countries.

Negotiations in Luxembourg were complicated further when Austria's ruling Peoples party lost a regional election in Styria yesterday.

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Big but poor nation worries bloc’s citizens

Published: 3/10/2005, 08:52 (UAE)

AP

Ankara: What the Turkey’s critics have to say: Polls show the European public opposes Turkish membership and the EU has to respect their democratic wishes.
Turks from poorer parts of the country would flock west to find jobs - and the experience of Germany and others in recent decades shows how hard it is to integrate such people.

Turkey’s size would impose great strain on the EU budget, with huge financial transfers needed to bring the country’s infrastructure, agriculture and administration up to EU levels.

On present demographic trends, Turkey would be the biggest EU member by the time it joins.

It would thus wield the largest number of votes in the European Council and field the largest number of deputies in the European Parliament, a situation likely to scare an already nervous European public.

Turkey’s admission would stretch EU borders to Iraq, Iran and Syria. In an EU without internal borders, it would be harder to halt the flow of illegal immigrants through Turkey to Europe.

Despite impressive progress on paper, Turkey continues to be criticised for human rights abuses and corruption.

Geographically and culturally, Turkey is more Middle Eastern than European.