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Commission Hails Turkey's Role In Regional Stability

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  • Commission Hails Turkey's Role In Regional Stability

    COMMISSION HAILS TURKEY'S ROLE IN REGIONAL STABILITY
    Elitsa Vucheva

    EUobserver.com
    http://euobserver.com/15/2 7025
    Oct 31 2008
    Belgium

    EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Turkey's role as promoter of regional
    stability has improved in the last year, Brussels says in a draft
    report on Turkey and the western Balkans' progress towards the EU,
    while stressing that Ankara still has a lot to do in a number of
    areas before being judged fit to join the EU club.

    "Turkey has played a constructive role in its neighbourhood and the
    wider Middle East through active diplomacy," reads the draft of the
    annual report seen by EUobserver.

    "Following the crisis in Georgia, [Turkey] proposed a Caucasus
    Stability and Co-operation Platform to promote dialogue between
    the countries of that region. [Turkish] President Gul paid a visit
    to Yerevan, the first visit ever of a Turkish president since the
    independence of Armenia. Turkey undertook efforts as a mediator
    between Israel and Syria and conducted a dialogue with Iran on the
    nuclear issue," the draft report goes on.

    Ankara has itself been stressing its role in maintaining regional
    stability and has been multiplying initiatives in that respect lately
    - including setting up the Caucasus Platform in the aftermath of the
    Russia-Georgia conflict.

    It says the platform's objective is to establish regional conflict
    resolution mechanisms and broader economic co-operation among the five
    countries involved - Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

    The EU has always insisted that good neighbourly relations are an
    important pre-condition for any EU hopeful.

    Additionally, "the development in the southern Caucasus also
    highlighted Turkey's strategic significance for the EU energy
    security, particularly by diversifying supply routes, and underlined
    the importance of closer energy co-operation between Turkey and the
    EU," the commission says.

    Nabucco - the EU-backed planned natural gas pipeline designed to
    reduce energy dependency on Russia by transporting natural gas from
    Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary - "is a key
    element for this," Brussels underlines.

    Same problems remain

    Turkey has been an official candidate to join the EU since 1999 and
    opened accession negotiations with the bloc in 2005.

    But besides the progress noted, the commission says Ankara still has
    a lot to do in many areas in order to be ready for EU membership.

    Notably, "there has been no progress towards normalisation of
    bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey has not fully
    implemented the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement and
    has not removed all obstacles to free movement of goods, including
    restrictions on direct transport links with Cyprus."

    In 2005 Ankara signed a protocol to extend its customs union with the
    EU to the 10 states that joined the bloc in 2004 - but still refuses
    to open its ports to Cypriot ships. Several negotiations chapters
    with the EU remain suspended because of this.

    Turkey does not recognise the Greek government in the southern part
    of the divided island, while at the same time is the only country to
    recognise its northern Turkish section.

    Earlier this year, commission President Barroso called the issue "the
    main obstacle for significant progress in Turkey's accession process."

    In addition, reads the report, the country has still a lot to do to
    fight corruption and organised crime. It has made "no progress on
    alignment with European standards" as regards minority rights and it
    needs to push administrative and political reforms further.

    "Full civilian supervisory functions and parliamentary oversight
    of defence expenditures need to be ensured. Senior members of the
    armed forces have continued to make statements on issues going beyond
    their remit," Brussels also says. The central role of the military
    in Turkish society is often raised as a concern by the EU executive.

    The final version of the report will be presented by the commission
    on 5 November.
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