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BEIRUT: Turkey far from ready to a seat at the EU negotiating table

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  • BEIRUT: Turkey far from ready to a seat at the EU negotiating table

    The Daily Star, Lebanon
    Oct 1 2005

    Turkey is still far from ready to have a seat at the EU negotiating
    table

    By Hratch Varjabedian
    Commentary by
    Saturday, October 01, 2005


    The European Union will start membership negotiations with Turkey on
    October 3, more than 15 years after Turkey's application to become a
    full member of the European Economic Community in 1987.

    Turkey's rapprochement with Europe started long before, however, when
    the Ottoman Empire reached the gates of Vienna in 1697 only to suffer
    a major defeat and be forced to sign the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699
    which put an end to its westward expansion. Turkey has been known as
    the "sick man" of Europe ever since, but its efforts to integrate in
    Europe started gaining momentum again in the 1950s.

    EU leaders decided during their December 2004 summit that Turkey was
    ready to sit at the negotiating table for full membership. However,
    many prominent European politicians, such as former French president
    Valery Giscard d' Estaing, staunchly oppose Turkey's membership of
    the EU.

    The vast majority of European citizens in countries such as France
    and Austria also oppose Turkish membership and express concern at the
    dire consequences of such an event.

    A look at the current situation of Turkey on the political, economic
    and social levels explains these concerns. Territorial disputes with
    neighboring countries, rule by the military, a record of repression
    of minorities and human rights violations, economic underdevelopment
    and low indicators of human development render Turkey unable to match
    up to EU member countries and unsuitable for membership.

    Politically, Turkey continues to be an invader of Cyprus' territory,
    a neighboring country and a member of the EU. Despite pressures from
    EU leaders to the contrary, Turkey still refuses to officially
    recognize the Republic of Cyprus and instead is the only country to
    have recognized the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

    Democracy and the rule of law are common victims in Turkey, where
    despite pretenses of a secular democracy, occasional outbreaks of
    violence and gross violations of human rights attract the attention
    of the world media, reminding the world of Turkey's true character.

    Turkey's repression of its Kurdish population and other minorities in
    the country continues despite some reforms. Freedom of expression is
    often curbed; recognition of the Armenian Genocide and statements in
    favor of Turkey's withdrawal from Cyprus are considered punishable
    crimes under the newly reformed Turkish Penal Code.


    Despite increased international pressures and recognition by the
    world community of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Ankara continues to
    practice an official policy of denial. Countries recognizing or
    planning to recognize the Armenian Genocide are threatened, an
    official blockade is still applied against Armenia and lands
    rightfully belonging to Armenians, namely Western Armenia, are still
    occupied in Eastern Turkey. In an attempt to conceal the Armenian
    identity of these lands and erase traces of Armenian existence on
    them, Turkey regularly destroys centuries-old Armenian monuments.

    Economically, Turkey suffers from high unemployment rates, large
    government debt and impoverishment, especially in the central parts
    of Anatolia. Life in these regions is still primitive and poor in
    comparison to most European cities.

    In the case of full membership, the EU would have to make large
    investments to put Turkey's economy on a par with that of other
    member countries. Unemployed Turkish citizens would spill in their
    millions across the border to Europe.

    Turkish values, beliefs and lifestyles fundamentally differ from
    those of Europe; the two parties have gone through a completely
    different course of development over the centuries. Respect for human
    rights, freedom of thought and expression and the value of an
    individual human being are the values on which the EU is based. In
    Turkey, these are more often victims than values.

    Turkey is still far from ready to have a seat at the negotiating
    table for EU membership. Now that the negotiations are set to start
    however, EU leaders should demand real and tangible changes from
    Turkey. The future will show just how much Turkey is prepared to do
    for EU membership.



    Hratch Varjabedian is an Armenian journalist in Lebanon. He wrote
    this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.
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