THE EU has to decide if it is a closed political entity with fixed borders for eternity or whether it has a 50-year strategic vision, Turkish president Abdullah Gul has said.
Reflecting growing scepticism in Turkey about the prospects of EU membership, the president yesterday said countries such as France and the Netherlands had decisions to make about their strategic vision for the future.
“If you come to the conclusion that Turkey will be a burden on you or the EU, you should not be forced to accept Turkey as a member of the EU,” he said.
President Gul was responding to the negative view of his country’s accession ambitions expressed by President Nicolas Sarkozy and some Dutch politicians.
Speaking to a group of foreign journalists in the Turkish capital, Ankara, the president said that EU membership was still a significant goal for Turkey but internal reform was the primary objective.
“We are undertaking these reforms because first and foremost they are in the interests of our own people,” he said. “Secondly it is a goal for accession to the EU.”
President Gul said there was a strong awareness that many reforms still needed to be made but they were determined to overcome the defects that were holding back such reform.
“EU membership is not the ultimate goal,” he added. “The ultimate goal is to give our people what they deserve: the highest standards possible. The entire negotiating process for us is a process of upgrading our standards.”
A senior official in the Turkish foreign ministry, Selim Yenel, gave a blunt assessment of the impact the negative attitude of some EU countries such as France and Germany was having on Turkey’s prospects of joining.
“The most damaging part is that people in Turkey don’t care any more,” he said. “People still want it to happen but they don’t believe it will. The EU is not a priority for people any more.”
Mr Yenel said, however, that the reforms would continue because they were necessary for Turkey and were good for the people. “The momentum for political reform is still there whether we get into the EU or not.”
He added that the goal of full membership still remained and while it was not going to happen any time soon, Turkey had still not given up.
He attributed to opposition of France and Germany to the simple fact that the accession of Turkey would introduce a new big power into the EU and that might challenge the dominance of the Franco-German axis.
“We understand Sarkozy’s worry,” he said. “He doesn’t want another rival. He thinks Turkey will be another UK but we intend to strengthen not weaken the EU.”
Mr Yenel said the French had not been amused by the show of strength demonstrated by the Poles when they joined the EU and they felt it would be even more so with Turkey.
“Turkey has changed and is a lot more self confident politically, economically and in every other way,” he added.
The EU ambassador to Turkey, Marc Pierini, gave a similar assessment. He said the main problem about Turkish accession as far as France and Germany were concerned was that it would upset the balance of power in the EU.
“It comes down to voting strength. Turkey would be the biggest country in the EU and France and Germany would be upstaged,” Mr Pierini said.