Hürriyet, Turkey
May 17 2008
Gul says concerns of EU over Turkey are baseless
Concerns that the EU cake would be lessened after Turkey’s membership
were baseless, "on the contrary, the cake will get bigger," Turkish
President Abdullah Gul said on Saturday, Anatolian Agency reported.
"We are aware that there are some concerns about Turkey in EU
countries. Turkey has to carry out works convince European public
opinion. We have lots to do. We will not come before finishing our
homework," Gul is quoted as saying in an interview with daily Kronen
published in Vienna.
Referring to decision made in 2005 to launch negotiations between
Turkey and the EU, Gul said Austria also approved this
decision. "There is no need for the Austrians to feel concern over
Turkey’s EU membership as a referendum would be held in the end," he
added.
Gul said views that reform process slowed down were "partially right",
indicating that, "Turkey had two elections last year. The government
was engaged with the elections. However a new period started in
2008. As the president, I am closely following the reform process."
When Kronen newspaper journalist Kurt Seinitz said Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described assimilation a crime against
humanity and this led to discussions in Austria, Gul said, "such kind
of expressions can be interpreted differently in different
languages. The communities should integrate in the best way with the
societies they have been living in and should share, strengthen and
defend their common values."
Gul responding to a question about Armenian claims said, these claims
were not a "taboo" in Turkey, adding that, "we are sorry over what had
occurred in the past. However, this is not a genocide which the Jews
had to experience in Europe. The incidents erupted after revolt of
Armenians with the affect of some foreign forces. But one thing is
important, all the churches were open even during the incidents and
the Armenians, who were in important posts in the Ottoman
administration, continued to work."
Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of
their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. However
300,000 Armenians along with at least as many Turks died in civil
strife that emerged when the Armenians took up arms for independence
in eastern Anatolia.
Referring to Turkey’s call to all related parties to open their
archives, Gul said, "Turkey assumed a pioneering role here and
accepted to open its secret military archives."