Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-05-Speech-2-395"
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"en.20090505.27.2-395"2
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".
Mr President, the European Union has made two cardinal errors in its relations with Turkey. In 1999, it press-ganged Turkey into becoming a candidate country, and continued on this wrong track by opening accession negotiations with Ankara in 2005. The Council and the Commission think that, in doing so, they can disregard the historical legacy of the Republic of Turkey.
Nowadays, this historical legacy – or rather burden – manifests itself in a veritable cultural battle between the secular Kemalist camp and the conservative/religious front surrounding the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) as to the direction the Republic of Turkey should be taking. A noxious consequence of this is the sensational Ergenekon trial of numerous prominent Kemalists. When it comes to nationalistic attitudes towards the country’s religious and ethnic minorities, there is now precious little to choose between the Kemalists and Prime Minister Erdoğan. The constant disenfranchisement of these minorities – which is part of the history of the Republic of Turkey – is, of course, at variance with the EU’s political conditions for accession.
I would refer the Council and the Commission to a wellknown Dutch saying: it is better to stop half way than to persevere in an error. The European institutions and the Turkish authorities should learn from this wisdom at long last. This is the only way to pave the way towards better, more realistic relations in the interests of both parties."@en1
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