Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-144"
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"en.20041213.10.1-144"2
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"Mr President, the opening of negotiations with Turkey will be a historic event for both Turkey and the European Union. In the modern world, where Islam is being turned into an instrument of conquest and hatred, and has become a lethal weapon in the hands of fanatics, a meeting of the European Union with Ankara provides a unique opportunity to reverse the course of events and turn confrontation into coexistence.
To those who are currently concerned that as a result of Turkey’s accession to the European Union we will have common borders with Iraq and other Middle Eastern trouble spots, my message would be that we already have such borders today in the very heart of Europe. These borders exist between civilisations and cultures, and bear no relation to geographical boundaries. This is also true in the case of Islam, which is present in Europe in the form of many millions of believers. I refer to Muslims who were invited to join the European workforce in the 1960s. They became a major group of our continent’s inhabitants, yet they were not offered a model of integration and coexistence that would have allowed them to identify with their new homeland. This is therefore a problem that we are already experiencing in the very heart of Europe.
During negotiations, Turkey will need to demonstrate its honesty with regard to the Copenhagen criteria, as well as the approach it intends to take to issues relating to religious freedoms, the status of women, acknowledging the Armenian genocide and opening the border with Armenia. This will also provide an answer to those who suspect that Turkey’s accession to the EU would reduce the army’s influence on public life, when the army has always been a guarantee of the state’s secularity.
The opening of negotiations with Turkey ought to make it apparent to the European Union that Ukraine is an equally important and strategic partner for the EU. Ukraine should also receive a clear, rapid and credible prospect of cooperation with and accession to the European Union, and it should receive this as soon as possible. The Ukrainian people have demonstrated a remarkable degree of determination in their commitment to democratic values. They must and should now receive from us an answer commensurate with that determination."@en1
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