Statement by Egemen Bağış, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator on the New Term

STATEMENT BY H.E. EGEMEN BAÐIÞ, MINISTER FOR EU AFFAIRS AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR,

ON THE NEW TERM

I am deeply honoured to continue to carry out the post of Minister for EU Affairs in the 61st government term, which was bestowed upon me by Prime Minister Erdoğan with the approval of President Gül.

The recent establishment of an exclusive Ministry for EU Affairs by our Government clearly demonstrates our determination to carry forward the EU accession process. As another indication of this determination, Minister for EU Affairs, in addition to being the Chief Negotiator, has also been designated as the "Head of the Delegation for Negotiations", in accordance with the Prime Ministry Circular No 2011/7, issued in the Official Gazette dated 8 July, 2011. As a result, the coordination of the accession negotiations with the EU is brought under the competence of a single institution, namely the Ministry for EU Affairs.

We are now entering a very important period to crown this determination with EU membership. We have no doubt that our citizens will observe the positive results of "AK Party's mastership term" in the EU accession process, as in every area. Türkiye and the EU has self-confidence, means and capability to finalize this process successfully. We hope that our friends in the EU will recognize our determination and adopt a more reasonable, stable and objective attitude towards Türkiye. Türkiye- EU relations are too important and strategic to be evaluated in terms of unjustified obstacles or disputes. The best course of action for both parties is to set aside prejudices to achieve the best outcome in this process. We have no doubts that Türkiye's future lies in the EU membership. Neither should anybody doubt that the future of the EU also lies in Türkiye's membership.

I wholeheartedly believe that in the new term, doubts will be replaced by trust; and fears will give way to self-confidence, and all NGOs, business world, academic circles, media and particularly the opposition parties will maintain and strengthen their support in the EU accession process, which we consider as a process of democratization, development and transparency.

I would like to express my gratitude to our Ministers of Foreign Affairs who had led the delegation for negotiations with great commitment and success to this day, and especially to Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I would like to state that in the new term, as the Ministry for EU Affairs, we will be working in coordination and harmony with other Ministries under the leadership and instructions of our Prime Minister.