Today’s Zaman , Turkey
Aug 24 2009
CHP’s Ä°lhan Kesici: Don’t judge EU based on Sarkozy, Merkel
CHP Ä°stanbul deputy Ä°lhan Kesici spoke with Today’s
Zaman in an interview, sharing his thoughts on European attitudes
toward Turkey, the country’s Westernization efforts and the new world
order. Kesici is one of the names transferred into the Republican
People’s Party (CHP) from the center-right during the July 22, 2007,
elections.
He says Turkey’s efforts to become part of the West have been ongoing
since the 1800s, remarking that the nation has succeeded in this goal
economically, but has yet to achieve political integration.
Kesici takes issue with rising anti-European Union sentiment in
Turkey, saying his party had been engaged in behind-the-scenes
contacts on the issue.
One of the important center-right figures in Turkey, Kesici urged that
Turkey’s relations with the EU not be viewed as a tool for domestic
politics or as currency to win votes. `The way to enter the EU is to
fulfill the requirements of Copenhagen and Maastricht,’ he said. The
CHP politician does not place the blame on Turkey for not yet acceding
to the union as other nations have done in less time. `Croatia began
its bid in 2003 and in all likelihood will become an EU member in
2010. We’ve been trying to gain membership since 1950. It needs to be
accepted that the EU is treating us differently. We applied for
membership when there were only six members in the union. ¦ It’s
certain that they haven’t treated us justly,’ he asserted.
Kesici cites cultural differences as the top reason he feels the EU
has not yet accepted Turkey. `And by cultural differences, I mean
religion. The second difference is a historical one. Despite the fact
that 350 years have passed since 1683, Europeans still haven’t been
able to forget those days. The third point is Turkey’s population. We
can’t digest Turkey, they say. The fourth point is that we’re
poor. The EU budget isn’t enough to develop undeveloped countries,’ he
said.
He named another reason as Turkey’s many borders with Iraq, Syria and
Iran, but he says opposition rooted in this reason is based on the
idea that the EU is a Christian club. `This isn’t an approach
appropriate to the 21st century. They did the same thing in Bosnia,’
he said.
Despite all this, the CHP deputy says Turkey should not give up on its
European dreams. `The struggle needs to continue; it can’t be given up
on. We need to be sure of the fact that Merkel and also Sarkozy are
just temporary — at the end of the day, these leaders will be shifted
out. Right now, they’re turning this issue of Turkish membership into
a tool for domestic politics. Those who have turned such matters into
domestic political tools have never become esteemed statesmen; we need
to ignore this attitude of theirs. What we need to do is work with our
negotiation partners and finish our work — and we need to do this
quickly. We can’t just get angry and quit. Are Sarkozy and Merkel
pulling out of the negotiations? They’re not. And we won’t either,’ he
said.
Turkey must develop regional, global visions
Kesici also shared his views on Turkey’s status as a rising power,
saying Turkey lacks a global vision and needs to develop one. `There
are two important pedestals of a global vision. The first is democracy
and market economy; the second is our most basic alliance, the
Atlantic alliance; and this has two important veins. One is NATO, and
the other is the EU. Israel must also be seen as part of this
alliance,’ he said. The deputy emphasized that Turkey needs a regional
vision as well, noting that a strong global vision cannot compensate
for a lack of regional and neighborly relations. `We need to be in
harmony with the world, but also in harmony with our region. The
dominant religion in our region is Islam. And 99 percent of the
world’s 150 million Turks identify with this religion. Outside of the
Gagauzian Turks, all Turks have chosen to be Muslims. Twenty percent
of the 150 million Arabs, though, are Christian. As Westerners have
seen, not all
Arabs are Muslim. So Turkey needs to be in harmony with Islam and
also with the Muslim countries,’ he said.
As for the most important components of a regional vision, Kesici says
the most important country west of the Caspian for Turkey is Russia,
whom he says Turkey must be at peace with and in harmony with. `In the
East Caspian, there are the Turkic republics; we have a bond of
kinship with them. We need to create a vision regarding all of
Eurasia. If you’re preparing a Nabucco energy project, then what needs
to fill the pipes are Kazakh and Turkmen gas. ¦ We must ensure that
they become partners in the project. Perhaps in later stages Iraqi and
Iranian gas can be used. And we also can’t forget about the Balkans,’
he said. In terms of regional problems, he emphasized that the issues
of Cyprus and Turkey’s relations with Armenia also needed to be
resolved.
The first major step, he emphasizes, remains to ascend to the EU. `We
need to take up political membership within the union. We need to turn
economic cooperation into political cooperation,’ he said.
24 August 2009, Monday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA