Lithuanians speak out against Turkey in EU

Lithuanians speak out against Turkey in EU

The Baltic Times
28.07.2005

By TBT staff

Vilius Alisauskas, coordinator of Voice for Europe in Lithuania, told
the Baltic News Service that the current wave of protest against
Turkey’s membership, launched in Budapest in mid-July, will visit
several largest European cities in two weeks.

Participants in the action will seek to draw the attention of the
public, politicians and media representatives to problems that Turkey’s
full-fledged membership in the EU would cause.

Alisauskas said that participants in the Vilnius demonstration maintain
the position that Turkey is `alien’ for Europe because of the political
system, religion, the human rights situation and the geographical situation.

`Turkey is not a democratic country. It has serious problems with its
neighbors and ethnic minorities, does not promote human rights and
freedoms, does not preserve the European culture and values,
furthermore, from the geographical point of view, Turkey is not in
Europe,’ he said.

`Turkey has nothing in common with Europe. Algeria is not far as well,
so let’s maybe admit it as well,’ he added.

In his words, participants believe that the EU can cooperate with Turkey
without granting the latter full membership.

During the international initiative Voice for Europe, European people
will be urged to sign a petition against Turkey’s membership in the EU.

International initiative Voice for Europe actions are organized in July
in Slovakia, France, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, the
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech
Republic and Germany.

Turkey, which has a population of 70 million, mostly Muslims, has been
seeking EU membership since 1963. If Turkey joined the EU, it would be
the largest EU member in terms of its area and population.

EU accession negotiations with Turkey will start on Oct. 3.