Statement by H.E. Egemen Bagis regarding the conclusions of the European Council held on 8-9 December 2011

MINISTER FOR EU AFFAIRS AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR H.E. EGEMEN BAÐIÞ'S REMARKS ON THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL HELD ON 8-9 DECEMBER 2011

Even though enlargement was not an important topic on the agenda of the European Council, the points regarding Türkiye's development in various fields, which were also included in the Conclusions of the General Affairs Council held on 5 December 2011, and fully endorsed in the Conclusions of the EU summit,  can be interpreted positively. 

The following points indicate that progress made by our Government in the EU accession process and the steps to be taken by our Government in the forthcoming period are in the right direction:

* The Council has confirmed that Türkiye is a "key country" for the Union.

* The general elections held in 2011 have been welcomed in terms of democratic standards and rule of law.

* The economic success of Türkiye and the fact that Türkiye constitutes an important part of the competitive power of Europe were emphasized.

* The Council has recognised the role of Türkiye as a power that would be influential in the encouragement of reforms in its region.

* The great importance that Türkiye has given to the reform process and the Türkiye's progress in legal and institutional areas, in particular the foundation of the Ministry for the EU Affairs have been underlined.

* The developments in the fields of the civilian control of security forces, reform of the judiciary and religious freedoms have been particularly welcomed.

* Preparation of a new constitution has been welcomed and the work underway has been assessed favourably.

* PKK terrorism has been condemned and readiness for full cooperation in solidarity and dialogue with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism has been underlined.

* The Council has responded favourably to the "Positive Agenda", proposed by the European Commission, and has emphasised that this process should support the accession negotiations in compliance with the Negotiation Framework.

Furthermore, the Conclusions of the General Affairs Council has emphasized that "Türkiye's contribution to the EU will only be fully effective in the context of a credible approach to the negotiation process", which indicates that the Council acknowledges that Türkiye has faced unfair treatment.

However, criticisms of the EU on freedom of expression, visa, migration, the Cyprus issue and on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are not acceptable. If the EU is sincere about Türkiye's accession, it should fulfill its promises.

EU criticizes Türkiye regarding freedom of expression and freedom of media, but at the same time it does let a quasi-state to block the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 to negotiations. This is a contradiction. Within the framework of the principle of the independence of the judiciary, there cannot be any interference with court decisions.

Defining Türkiye as the "source" of illegal immigration to the EU is also unacceptable. With its economic power, advanced democracy, political stability and its level of progress regarding individual rights and freedoms, Türkiye has become a country whose people are happy and proud to live in their own land. Furthermore, the most recent statistics indicate that reverse migration is already taking place. We have completed the negotiations on the EU-Türkiye Readmission Agreement and we hope that the EU Council will immediately authorize the European Commission to initiate the process for visa liberalisation.

It is disappointing to see that the Greek Cypriots have once again took hostage EU's agenda. The expression in paragraph 14 referring to "serious concern" with regard to Turkish statements and alleged "threats" and the call made to fully respect the role of the Presidency of the Council are not acceptable. Instead of hiding behind the "principle of solidarity" that is abused by the Greek Cypriots on every occasion, we expect the EU to encourage the Greek Cypriot Administration to work for a fair and comprehensive settlement in the island under the auspices of the Secretary General of the UN.

European Union which has been founded on universal values, should support more explicitly Türkiye's accession process, which will make a significant contribution to these fundamental values. Türkiye is determined to continue its reform process within the framework of the accession negotiations regardless of the current crisis experienced in the EU. We expect the EU to demonstrate the same determination regarding Türkiye's accession process.