The News Anatolian, Turkey
April 28 2005
In policy shift, Ankara turns tables to criticize the European Union
View: Zeynep Gurcanli
This week’s partnership council meeting between Turkey and European
Union could be described as a cornerstone in the critical process
towards the beginning of Ankara’s accession negotiations, scheduled
for Oct. 3.
During the meeting in Luxembourg, the Turkish government changed its
strategy towards the European Union, abandoning a defensive stance in
favor of a more aggressive approach to the criticisms of the Union.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who represented Turkey at the
partnership council meeting, faced all the criticisms and
expectations of European ministers on human rights, religious
minority rights, and Cyprus, by underlining the EU’s own deficiencies
in all these fields.
The main issue at the meeting was certainly the signing of Ankara
Protocol by Turkey, extending the Customs Union to the 10 new member
states of EU, including the Greek Cypriot administration, which
Turkey does not recognize.
When the European side asked for the signing of the protocol by
Turkey, Gul brought the issue of the EU’s long-delayed promise to
offer economic deals and financial aid to the Turkish Cypriots. The
EU had promised to end its economic isolation of the North with a
trade facilitation agreement and aid worth $336 million a reward for
Turkish Cypriots’ approval of a UN-drafted reunification plan in a
referendum last year. However, Greek Cypriots, who rejected the plan
in a separate vote, have blocked the aid, fearing the package could
lead to de facto recognition of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC).
Gul’s criticisms of European demands for Turkish support to restart
the Cyprus negotiations between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots were
even tougher. `Let me ask you,” he said during the meeting, according
to Turkish officials. “Do you really think that it’s Turkey that
should take steps towards a solution in Cyprus?’ He also criticized
the passages in the position paper put on the table by EU ministers
asking Turkey `to normalize its relations with the EU.’ `Do you think
that our relations with EU are abnormal?’ he asked. He underlined the
need to normalize relations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots first,
according to the same sources.
The EU officials at the meeting were silenced by Gul’s remarks on
Cyprus. Later Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg, whose
nation is the current term president of the EU, told reporters he had
“issued an apology” on behalf of the EU for not yet implementing the
2004 measures, which were drafted before Cyprus joined the EU on May
1 last year. “It’s not yet possible to put them into practice,”
Asselborn said, but added that the EU “must do everything it can to
implement them.”
The second issue of European criticism towards Turkey was the rights
of religious and ethnic minorities. EU officials underlined the
importance of recognition of the ecumenical status of the Fener
Orthodox Patriarch and demanded the opening of the religious seminary
in Heybeliada. They also put forth the issue of `expanding the
cultural rights’ of ethnic groups in Turkey.
Foreign Minister Gul was also prepared for these criticisms. He
brought up the living conditions of the Turkish minority in western
Thrace, Greece. `We are working to ameliorate the situation in our
country on minority rights,’ said Gul, and gave some examples. But he
added, `Please be just in your criticisms on the minority issue. The
living conditions of Turkish-origin citizens of Greece, a full member
country of the EU, are also continuing to be a big problem. Do you
know that Turks in western Thrace can’t even elect their own mufti
[Muslim authority]?’
Asselborn and EU Commissioner Responsible for Enlargement Olli Rehn
went over a list of reforms Turkey must implement before negotiations
begin during the meeting, according to EU sources. Rehn said that
while progress on reforms has been “significant, it is essential now
to keep up the momentum.” He mentioned that Turkey’s penal code
reforms need to be put back on track so they are implemented in time.
He also said the EU continued to have “serious concerns” over torture
and ill-treatment “that continue to occur” and gave the example of
the beating of the Women’s Day demonstrators by Turkish security
forces.
Gul said Turkey “was aware how important implementation is,” adding
his government would ensure that all EU demands are met on time.
“There should be no suspicion whatsoever,” he said. Gul described the
Women’s Day beating as a `road accident.’
The surprise issue of the partnership council meeting between EU and
Turkey was the so-called Armenian genocide claims. The issue was
brought to the table by European officials due to the great pressure
of France and the Netherlands.
Gul informed the EU officials about the recent demarche of Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan sent a letter to
Armenian president, suggesting the establishment of a joint
commission by historians of the two countries to study the claims.
Gul, during the Tuesday meeting, also gave some examples of the
tolerant policies of the Ottoman Empire towards religious minorities.
`If the Ottoman government wished, it could have erased all the
different religions other than Islam from the Balkans and Anatolia
during that time,’ Gul was quoted as saying. `The Armenians and other
religious groups in Turkey survived due to this tolerant policy of
the Ottomans. Today, Turkey too has no problems with the Armenians.’
Gul also asked the Europeans not to use the national feelings of the
Turks for only the domestic consumption of European countries.
The last criticisms of the Europeans was about the role of the
Turkish military within domestic politics. Gul’s response to this
criticism was saying that there is some improvement on the issue.
After countering all the criticisms of the European officials with
his own criticisms of the Union, Gul concluded by asking the
Europeans to treat fairly Turkey. `We expect the same treatment
towards Turkey as the other candidate countries,’ he said.