EU official tells Turkey it cannot “hide unpleasant things anymore”

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
5 Apr 05

Istanbul, European Union (EU)-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission
(JPC) Co-chairman Joost Lagendijk said on Tuesday [5 April] that EU
closely watched Turkey and all the eyes of European countries were
now on Turkey.

Addressing the Strategic Communication Management meeting organized
by the Platform of Institutional Communication Professionals,
Lagendijk said that there were certain problems in perception
of Turkey within EU countries and also in perception of the EU by
Turkey. “This misperception between the EU and Turkey should change”,
Lagendijk said, noting that “EU watches you, their eyes are on you.
The European press and the parliament have all turned their eyes to
you. Whatever you do in Turkey is closely monitored by EU. You can’t
hide unpleasant things anymore.”

“Turkey has to determine its foreign policy in line with this
perspective”, added Lagendijk.

Referring to Cyprus issue, Lagendijk said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul have been successful with
their recent policies on Cyprus. EU public opinion attaches importance
to sensitive issues, not general policies, he said. “For instance the
economic growth of Turkey was covered by a small article in European
newspapers, but the discussions on Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk [whose
books were burned on the orders of a local official in Turkey] were
in the front pages of those newspapers.”

Mentioning the Ankara Protocol in his speech, Lagendijk urged Turkey
to sign the protocol before 3 October. “You can surprise everybody
(Greek Cypriots and Europeans included) by signing the protocol now.
Why don’t you help in the lifting of the embargo on Turkish Cypriots
by signing the protocol beforehand?,” he asked.

Referring to the negative repercussions of some incidents that
took place in Turkey and reflected by the European press, Lagendijk
called on Turkey to take action and not to stay indifferent to the
claims brought against Turkey like the Armenian allegations or the
Kurdish issue.

Lagendijk said that talking about ‘burning of books’ should be out
of the question in Turkey, adding that the reaction of officials to
incidents like the police intervention on an illegal demonstration
on 6 March (International Women’s Day) is very important.

“Such incidents can take place in all EU countries, but the attitude
of officials vis-a-vis such incidents should be in line with the
EU values,” he said, noting that officials should clearly show that
beating of demonstrators is wrong.

“Please don’t permit any incident about Turkey to be used against
your country by the European press ,” he said.

Lagendijk said that Turkey has so many trump-cards at her hand to
change the perception of Turkey, calling on Turkey to use those cards
well and promote itself well in Europe with a new understanding.