The New Anatolian, Turkey
July 14 2005

Babacan: Our only goal is to be a full EU member
The New Anatolian / Ankara

Turkish State Minister and European Union chief negotiator Ali
Babacan indicated late Tuesday that a “silent revolution” is taking
place in Turkey, and added, “We’re taking giant steps by making
political and economic reforms possible. Our ultimate goal is EU
membership.”

Speaking at the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee,
Babacan said that the Turkish economy will soon come to the level
desired by the EU and Turkey’s accession to the EU will contribute to
it being a global power.

Asked by MEPs about the the Cyprus and Armenian issues, Babacan said,
“Options excluding full membership are unacceptable to Turkey.”

“Turkey is conscious about the reality that the negotiations process
will not be short and easy. It will be patient, tolerant,
transparent, and careful during the process. Turkey wants to be
treated fairly and justly by the EU,” Babacan said.

“Ankara puts great importance on the implementation of reforms in
daily life,” said Babacan, adding that both political circles and the
public support the implementations.

Babacan: International support a must to combat terrorism

Babacan touched on the necessity of developing communication and
dialogue between Turkish and EU citizens and said that international
support and solidarity is a must in combating terrorism. “Turkey is
concerned about the lack of international support on this issue,”
Babacan added.

Babacan: Ankara Protocol will be signed

Babacan stated that the Ankara Protocol that extends the Customs
Union Agreement to the 10 new members of the EU, including the Greek
Cypriot administration, will be signed by Turkey.

Babacan highlighted the positive way that Turkey had acted in trying
to find a solution to the Cyprus problem under the auspices of the
Annan plan and said that this positive attitude will continue. He
asserted that the problem remains unsolved due to the Greek Cypriots’
negative attitude. “There’s no doubt about Turkey’s willingness and
desire to find a just and permanent solution to the Cyprus problem,”
Babacan added.

Babacan: Economic growth continues

Babacan said that the Turkish economy has overcome great problems and
has seen rising growth for three years now. “Our inflation went down
to 9.3 percent and is expected to decrease further to 8 percent.”

In related news, at press time, Babacan was scheduled to meet EU
Commission members yesterday.