Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-28-Speech-3-036"
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"en.20050928.3.3-036"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Erdoğan, has done a great deal for his country, not least in changing it in ways that bring it closer to the European Union. He did it a disservice, though, in delivering this unacceptable unilateral declaration at the same time as he signed the Ankara Agreement. It goes without saying, though, that this agreement has legal consequences that Turkey must not merely accept but also put into effect.
I do nevertheless believe that we, in the European Union, need to show Turkey what it means to think and act in a European way, and to go forward in confidence and with consistency. That is also why I believe that the European Union must open negotiations on 3 October. Why is this so?
Firstly, although the reform process that is going on in Turkey is facing obstacles and problems, to which Mr Kasoulides is right to draw attention, it would be irresponsible of us to curtail it, and it would be damaging to Europe. Rather than do that, we must help it along.
Secondly, we must give all groups in Turkey, and such minority groups as the Kurds in particular, the chance and the opportunity to use this reform process as a means of finding new ways of expressing their culture and participating in political life.
Thirdly, we have to ensure that Turkey, having been recognised as a candidate for accession to the European Union, should also, and in a similar way, improve its relations with all its neighbours, particularly, of course, with Armenia, and this will involve, among other things, acknowledging its own history and the atrocities to which that testifies.
Fourthly, it is absolutely vital that we also give support to the Turkish-speaking population of Cyprus. We have a lot to say – and rightly too – about the island’s Greek-speaking majority, but let us not forget that it was the Turkish minority that said a resounding ‘yes’ to reunification and a resounding ‘yes’ to Europe. Let us not forget either that Europe has so far failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility to this minority in such matters as trade and financial support.
For all these reasons, we should adopt a consistent attitude and say an unambiguous ‘yes’ to getting negotiations underway. It will be a difficult process, with many, many problems to resolve, but we must make sure that Turkey presses on with the reform process. If Turkey succeeds in doing that, then it can and should become a Member State of the European Union. It is only if it fails in this that we will need to seek out other forms of relationship with it.
Let me say, for Mr Poettering’s information, for the sake of absolute clarity and the avoidance of doubt, that we, in this group, hope that 3 October will see the opening of negotiations not only with Turkey but also with Croatia. That would be a great signal to move forward. We have no desire to play Turkey and Croatia off against each other. Both countries are worthy of negotiations being opened with them. If we can start them now, the negotiations with Croatia will certainly be completed before those with Turkey, but let us go forward into the future of our continent with both these countries together."@en1
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