The European Parliament has harshly criticized Turkey for delaying reforms. European parliamentarians, who recently passed a document containing a negative assessment of the Turkish government’s actions, say that Turkey has failed to meet the commitments it accepted last October, when it was allowed to open EU membership negotiations. In his interview with The Day , Erdogan Iscan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Ukraine, presents his viewpoint on the latest decision of the European parliamentary corps.
“Is the criticism that was heard last week from the European Parliament a sort of “yellow card” for Turkey? Is the EP’s resolution fair and substantiated?”
“It would be wrong to call the European Parliament’s decision an EU yellow card. EP resolutions are not legally binding. Experience shows that in most cases they represent the viewpoint of a minority, which can still gain a constitutional majority of votes during some sessions. The content of this decision runs counter to facts and boils down to certain MPs’ biased conclusions. This is not the first time that the European Parliament has made a decision that lacks impartiality and that can lead to a wrong picture of a situation. European Commission representatives have already voiced their disagreement with this decision.”
“How will the Turkish government react to the European Parliament’s criticism?”
“There is no question that the Turkish government and the vast majority of Turks share a common vision and strong desire to integrate into or join the EU, and they are making efforts to meet the political and economic criteria. Tremendous successes have been achieved in the past few years. This was clearly stated in the European Commission’s reports, in spite of the European Parliament’s contradictory decisions. Turkey and the European Commission began EU membership negotiations in October 2005 on the basis of these reports. Reforms are still being carried out.”
“Do you think Turkey can become an EU member even after it meets all the criteria? The people in Paris, especially Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the main presidential candidates, opposes Turkey’s EU membership.”
“I think the EU is a ‘unity in diversity’ project based on ‘common values.’ Countries like Turkey and Ukraine should join the EU if they achieve full compliance with these ‘common values.’ For many years the region’s borders were drawn up by means of conflicts. Admitting Turkey and Ukraine to the EU will mean that today’s Europe is being guided by a set of fundamental rights and freedoms and is pursuing a common goal irrespective of race and religion.”
“Is Turkey going to recognize the Armenian genocide in order to speed up integration into the EU?”
“Unfounded accusations of the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ have nothing to do with the question of Turkey’s progress toward EU membership. Turkey is pursuing a transparent policy on this matter and has invited the Armenian side to conduct a joint study of this problem. We have not received any positive answer yet. Turkey is not going to discuss the question of recognizing something that did not take place.”
