German press puts under doubt

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
May 5, 2004

GERMAN PRESS PUTS UNDER DOUBT

The supporters of Turkey’s membership to the European Union bring
honest but unconvincing arguments, says the German newspaper Leipziger
Volkszeitung. Turkey’s integration to the EU will indeed favour the
political stabilization of the country, but is this good, asks the
newspaper? In case of membership Turkey will become the first country
of the EU by the number of population. This means that at the EU
Ministerial Council Turkey will have considerable weight, and will be
represented in the Europarliament by the largest group of members of
parliament. The countries, which are for Turkey’s membership, will
hardly agree to such distribution of forces; this is the opinion of
the newspaper. Moreover, membership of new countries to the EU will
also mean expansion of the territory of the EU. In case of Turkey’s
membership the EU will have common border with Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Azerbaijan and Georgia, i.e. crisis regions, writes the German
newspaper. IN THE UPCOMING TEN YEARS EU MEMBERSHIP “DOES NOT THREATEN”
TURKEY, THINKS JACQUES CHIRAC. It will take at least ten years from
Turkey to become member of the EU. This was stated by the president of
France Jacques Chirac during the press conference devoted to the
questions of wider EU. He mentioned that the talks for the membership
of Turkey will last long, 10 years and more. According to the French
president, the necessary conditions for membership to the EU have not
been provided in Turkey yet, informed the agency “Interfax”.

PANARMENIAN