EU SUMMIT WILL NOT AVOID TURKISH QUESTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.12.2006 16:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A two-day meeting of the European Union opens in
Brussels December 14. Though the EU Foreign Ministers already found a
compromise on Turkey-EU negotiations, the discussion of that subject
will be continued on the level of Prime ministers.

Commenting on EU’s decision to halt the negotiations with Turkey on
its membership bid German Chancellor Angela Merkhel stated, "I hope
the Turkish side will understand: we are not talking about toughening
the conditions for Turkey to enter the European Union. We just say:
those things, which were not implemented but should be implemented
before membership, will have its consequences."

It is worth reminding that the Turkish authorities did not fulfill
Brussels’s demand to open a port and an airport for the Republic of
Cyprus. This step would mean an indirect acknowledgment of the republic
by Ankara. In the light of upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkey
in 2007 it would mean political death for Erdogan’s government. The
Turkish Prime minister called Brussels’s decision ‘too tough’, which
do not correspond to the level of relations reached by Turkey and the
European Union last year. "We were treated unfair, though we performed
good will. The split in ‘Cypriot problem’ will lead to the worsening
of bilateral relations. Instead the Greek Cypriots and Greece will
win and they use this fact very well," Erdogan stated.

Despite the interruption in negotiations, Ankara declared that the
course of reforms necessary to enter the EU will be continued. The
European Union welcomed this approach: even those states, which
are standing in tough positions on Turkey, are not interested in
estrangement of Ankara from Brussels.

At the same time Brussels refuses to mention concrete schedule
for Turkey’s membership: The European Union needs to ‘swallow’ the
upcoming adjournment of Romania and Bulgaria. And Croatia already
stands on the threshold. Up till now, after the negotiations were
partially frozen with Ankara, Zagreb occupied the place of number one
candidate. Croatia does not hide that wants to become an EU member
already in 2009, reports Deutsche Welle.