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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.