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Ankara Offered Small Chance To EU Chapter

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  • Ankara Offered Small Chance To EU Chapter

    ANKARA OFFERED SMALL CHANCE TO EU CHAPTER

    15:04 â~@¢ 03.03.14

    Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan with European Parliament President
    Schulz, European Union Council President van Rompuy ( and European
    Commission President Barroso in Brussels (Reuters photo)

    Reluctant to open new chapters with Turkey, the EU Commission instead
    offered to hold a working group meeting with Ankara on Chapter 23,
    which covers the judiciary and fundamental rights, the Hurriyet Daily
    News has learned.

    The proposal, which was conveyed to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
    and EU Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu on Feb. 11 during the Turkey-EU
    Political Dialogue meeting, is interpreted as an indication of
    hesitation from the EU to open new membership negotiation chapters
    due to recent political developments in Turkey.

    The EU has been repeatedly expressing concern over a series of recently
    passed laws by the Turkish government, following the revelation of
    corruption in graft probes that have shaken the government since
    December.

    Brussels has publicly urged the government several times to take
    every necessary measure to ensure the allegations of wrongdoing are
    addressed without discrimination or preference, and in a transparent
    and impartial manner.

    Turkey wants to open Chapter 17, on economic and monetary union,
    Chapter 24, on justice, freedom and security, in 2014, as well as
    Chapter 23. However, no work has been accomplished to allow Turkey to
    meet the opening benchmarks on these chapters, according to officials
    familiar with the negotiations.

    Turkey had pinned its hopes on French President Francois Hollande,
    whose country still holds a block on four negotiation chapters.

    Although Hollande said France was in favor of the continuation of
    technical talks, he did not mention opening Chapter 17 during his
    visit to Ankara in January, a Turkish official said. Chapter 17 has
    no opening benchmarks.

    For the opening of Chapters 23 and 24, countries such as France and
    Germany are expected to persuade Greek Cyprus to remove its blockade,
    but Ankara has not received any signals in this direction. Therefore,
    establishing a working group on Chapter 23 is interpreted as signifying
    the EU Commission's willingness to continue working with Turkey to
    move forward to help it meet its opening benchmarks.

    The same methodology has been used for Chapter 22, on regional
    policy, whose opening was delayed due to a number of EU countries'
    objections to the Turkish government's brutal crackdown on the Gezi
    Park protests last summer. The Commission offered to hold a working
    group including civic society groups such as the Taksim Solidarity
    Platform, as third parties, but Ankara rejected the idea at the time,
    the Daily News learned.

    Armenian News - Tert.am

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