BAGIS: EU’S NAYSAYERS WILL BE MERE FOOTNOTES IN HISTORY

Today’s Zaman
April 13 2009
Turkey

Turkey’s chief negotiator for accession talks with the European
Union, Egemen Bagis, has more reason to believe Ankara’s membership
bid will succeed despite current obstacles after US President Barack
Obama declared that Turkey’s integration with the EU would serve the
cause of world peace. Bagis, recently appointed as a state minister,
is confident that Europe’s Turkey skeptics are in the minority and
will fail in their attempts to block Turkey’s EU bid.

"Those naysayers are small in number and their attempts to prevent
Turkey’s integration in Europe — an issue followed by 1.5 billion
Muslims around world — will just be footnotes in history," Bagis told
Today’s Zaman in an interview this week, noting that he has heard
positive comments on Obama’s call for Turkey’s integration into the
EU from a number of ministers from EU member states. "History is on
the side of Turkey," he added.

During a European tour that also included a two-day visit to Turkey,
Obama backed Turkey’s membership in the EU, drawing swift remarks
from French President Nicolas Sarkozy reiterating his opposition to
Turkish membership. German and Austrian officials, known to be opposed
to Turkey’s entry into the EU, have also expressed discontent over
Obama remarks, raising speculation that the US president’s intervention
could actually increase anti-Turkey sentiments in Europe.

But Bagis said the call from Obama, who enjoys unprecedented sympathy
among Europeans, will help him convince hundreds of millions
of Europeans "that Turkey is not coming into the union to bring
additional burdens, but to assume some of the ongoing burdens of the
European Union."

"President Obama’s remarks will help me convince many European nations,
leaders and citizens that Turkey can be a part of the solution to many
of the challenges faced by the union today, be it security, energy,
human trafficking, narcotics, peace projects, Europe’s dialogue
with the rest of the world or the social security system and aging
workforces," Bagis said. "His most important message was that Turkey
is not where East and West are divided but where East and West come
together. This is what I am saying: Turkey is the most eastern part
of the West and the most western part of the East. And that’s what
makes Turkey so unique."

Bagis also expressed readiness to reopen a Greek Orthodox seminary in
Istanbul, closed since 1971, because it is a matter of human rights,
not just a request from the EU or the US.

"The minorities that have enriched the culture of this country, such
as the Greek Orthodox minority, the Armenian minority, the Assyrian
minority and others, have also enjoyed their culture and religion
on this soil for many centuries. And they should continue to do so,"
he said.

"We have to find a legal foundation for the solution. There are
different alternatives … Where there is a will, there is a way." He
elaborated on these issues and more for Monday Talk.

How do you think President Barack Obama’s strong expression of
US support for Turkey’s membership in the EU will be perceived in
European capitals?

First of all, let me share with you that I personally thanked President
Obama for doing that. On his way out of Parliament, I approached
him and said, "I am the minister for EU affairs and I thank you
for supporting my portfolio." And he said: "You’re welcome. It’s a
very important portfolio. I wish you all the success." He also told
me that he believes in Turkey’s integration with Europe. As he said
when he met with the young leaders in Istanbul, Europeans do not mind
sharing their views about what America should do, so they should not
mind hearing the president of the United States sharing his views
about what Europe should do. Europe and the United States, along with
the sincere and vital cooperation of Turkey, form a very important
transatlantic alliance on which the challenges faced by humankind today
are such broad challenges that no nation can deal with them alone. And
as President Obama said in his speech to the Turkish Parliament,
we all have to rise above our differences and try to cooperate for
the mutual benefit of the nations that we represent. President Obama
has a clear vision. He realizes that Turkey’s integration with the
European Union is not only in the interest of Turkey, but is probably
in the best interest of the European Union. But, more importantly,
it’s in the interest of world peace. And that’s why he cares so much.

Have you heard reactions to this from any European leaders?

Not directly in response to Obama’s call, but right after Obama
made his remarks in Prague, where he emphasized the need for Turkey’s
integration with the European Union, French President [Nicolas] Sarkozy
repeated his stance against Turkey’s EU membership. German Chancellor
[Angela] Merkel also repeated the idea of privileged partnership.

Is there such a thing as "privileged partnership" in the EU acquis
communautaire?

I checked the whole acquis to see that and I’ve realized that
there is no such clause in any European documents. I also checked
the documentation over the last 50 years, because Turkey’s first
application to the European Union was back in 1959. And since then
there are so many council decisions, so many summit resolutions,
so many documents in which Turkey has always been promised full
membership at the end of its negotiations, just like all other
member countries which negotiated for the EU membership. So those
remarks didn’t really make much sense to me. But yesterday and today
I met with six or seven ministers from EU member states and they all
welcomed President Obama’s speech. So, thank God, those naysayers are
small in number and their attempts to prevent Turkey’s integration
in Europe — an issue followed by 1.5 billion Muslims around world —
will just be footnotes in history. History is on the side of Turkey.

As you have just indicated, there seem to be few naysayers against
Turkey’s membership in the EU, but their influence is great. Do
you think this issue could be brought up again during the September
elections in Germany?

Some politicians in different European countries have tried to exploit
Turkey’s membership aspirations for their local elections and local
politics. But Turkey’s integration efforts into the EU are grander
than that. This is an important part of the alliance of civilizations
that we are trying to achieve. It will open not only new markets,
but also new opportunities for peace for the European countries. A
project of this magnitude should not be taken hostage to local
elections. I hope it will not be exploited in upcoming elections in
any European countries.

‘Obama said a lot in 25 minutes’

Have you been particularly struck by any of the messages President
Obama delivered during his time in Turkey?

He touched on every issue: Turkey, Turkish-American relations,
Americans of Turkish origin, the economic crisis, the killings, the
energy issue, weapons of mass destruction, creating jobs. He spoke
about dialogue and Turkey’s integration with the European Union, which
was welcomed especially by myself because this is the message I am
trying to advocate. He spoke about Turkish-Armenian relations. He spoke
about Halki [Greek Orthodox Seminary]. He spoke about Cyprus, Iran,
Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda, the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party] and America’s relationship with Islam and he himself
having Muslim relatives. His most important message was that Turkey
is not where East and West are divided but where East and West come
together. This is what I am saying: Turkey is the most eastern part
of the West and the most western part of the East. And that’s what
makes Turkey so unique. President Obama’s speech was very balanced,
well-articulated and timely. He said a lot in 25 minutes.

Do you think he also addressed the Islamic world from Turkey?

The fact that he said America is not and will never be at war with
Islam is an important message. The fact that he said many Americans
have families in which there are Muslims, including himself, was an
important message. And the fact that he doesn’t see the relationship
of the United States with the Islamic world just in terms of fighting
against terrorism but as a broader issue of cooperation in trade,
dialogue and social sharing was a very important message.

‘Obama enjoys the support of Europeans’

With Obama’s strong support for Turkey’s EU integration, do you think
you will feel stronger than before when you go to European capitals?

Yes, and that’s not because the US president supports it. That’s
nothing new. Every US president that I have worked with has been a
strong supporter of Turkey’s integration with the European Union. The
difference with President Obama is that he enjoys the great confidence
and support of Europeans, as well. He was the only American who
could gather more than 200,000 Germans to a rally before becoming a
president. When he was a candidate, he could organize rallies in Berlin
that attracted hundreds of thousands of Europeans. I think President
Obama’s remarks regarding Turkey’s integration with the European Union
will help me convince 490 million Europeans that Turkey is not coming
into the union to bring additional burdens, but to assume some of
the ongoing burdens of the European Union. President Obama’s remarks
will help me convince many European nations, leaders and citizens
that Turkey can be a part of the solution to many of the challenges
faced by the union today, be it security, energy, human trafficking,
narcotics, peace projects, Europe’s dialogue with the rest of the world
or the social security system and aging workforces. In all of these,
Turkey is and will continue to be a part of the solution.

So you are saying EU leaders won’t be really bothered by the US
president’s strong stance on the side of Turkey?

Of course, at the end of the day it is the members of the European
Union that will make the decision about Turkey’s membership. However,
the United States has been considered a part of the West and they
share the same values with the rest of us, the Europeans. They have
understood the importance of keeping this alliance together. One
thing is for sure: Every country that has started negotiations has,
in the end, completed their negotiations. Turkey will not be an
exception. Once Turkey completes its negotiations, it will be a
different country. And the day Turkey completes its negotiations,
the union will be a very different union. So we should make the final
decision on that day. Obama’s words should be seen not as pressure,
but as friendly messages, a friendly assessment of reality.

‘Halki Seminary is a human rights issue’

President Obama directly addressed the issue of the Halki Seminary
in his address to Parliament. How do you see this issue?

I see the Halki issue not as a European issue, but as a human rights
issue. Turkish minorities living in different parts of the European
Union and the United States and other parts of the world enjoy their
own places of worship, their own schools and their own cultures. And
the minorities that have enriched the culture of this country, such
as the Greek Orthodox minority, the Armenian minority, the Assyrian
minority and others, have also enjoyed their culture and religion on
this soil for many centuries. And they should continue to do so. Where
there is a will, there is way. This is a human rights issue and should
be resolved.

Turkey has been working on the legal aspect and other dimensions of
this issue for some time. Do you think there will be an outcome any
time soon?

I am hopeful. Turkey has been working on it with its own
citizens. Patriarch Bartholomew is a constituent of mine. I meet
him regularly, just like everyone else I meet in my district. We
discuss this issue, as well. We will solve the issue not because
Europe asked is to do it or the United States wanted us to do it,
but because it is the right thing to do. We have to find a legal
foundation for the solution. There are different alternatives. I know
former President Suleyman Demirel was also very much interested in
solving this issue. But the issue came in front of him toward the end
of his term and he did not have enough time to deal with it. The way
we approach this issue is positive.

—– Egemen Bagis, minister for EU affairs and chief EU negotiator

Bagis was first elected to Parliament in 2002 as a deputy from
Istanbul. He was appointed as minister for EU affairs in January
and has been working to ensure Turkey’s full accession to the
EU since then. Previously, Bagis was the vice chairman in charge
of foreign affairs for the ruling Justice Development Party (AK
Party). He is also a member of the party’s Central Decision and
Administration Board (MKYK). From 2002 to 2009, Bagis also served
as a foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
chairman of the Turkey-US Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Caucus,
chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA) Subcommittee on
Transatlantic Relations and deputy chairman of the Turkish delegation
to the NATO-PA. In the 1990s he was president of the Federation of
Turkish-American Associations in New York.

—–

‘Annan plan for Cyprus lacked carrots and sticks’

President Obama also touched upon the issue of Cyprus, which carries a
certain importance, especially this year. Would you elaborate on that?

At the end of 2009, the European Commission will prepare a report on
Cyprus, just as the European Parliament issues a progress report on
Turkey every year. I’ve always strongly believed that the Cyprus issue,
which was not a prerequisite for the Cyprus’ membership, should not
be a prerequisite for Turkey’s membership. If Cyprus could become
a member of the EU despite its border problem and domestic issues,
this means the Europeans are willing to live with Cyprus with its
ongoing issues. However, this doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see a
solution to the Cyprus issue. I, just like every member of our Cabinet,
our prime minister and our president, would love to see the Cyprus
dispute resolved with a sustainable, fair approach based on a bi-zonal,
bi-communal solution. We are encouraging [Turkish Cypriot] President
Mehmet Ali Talat to be very constructive in reaching a settlement. When
I think of the position of President Dimitris Christofias, I sometimes
wonder if he has enough motivation to make a deal.

Why do you think that he does not have enough motivation?

Because he is recognized by the EU, their per capita income is
higher than the north. He doesn’t have much of a reason to have the
issue settled at this point, except for what he said when he was
campaigning for the presidency. I think we have to encourage and
motivate him. When I say we, I am not only talking about Turkey and
Greece, but also all members of the EU.

Do you think this is the main obstacle blocking a solution to the
Cyprus problem?

The Cyprus problem is older than I am and there are many problems
and obstacles. But where there is a will, there is way. So we have
to ensure that there is will, especially on the part of the Greek
Cypriots.

So do you think the year 2009 could still see an end to the Cyprus
problem?

I certainly hope and pray so. At least, it should be the year that
prepares the foundation for a solution. The main obstacle is a lack
of confidence and trust in each other. The two communities have gone
through tough times. And we saw that this lack of confidence yielded
its results during the referendum on the Annan plan. As you remember,
66 percent of the Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the plan, but
76 percent of the Greek Cypriots voted against it. And they refused
the calls of the European Union, they refused the calls of the United
States. And, more importantly, they refused the peace calls of the
United Nations.

As presidents Talat and Christofias are old friends, they have started
out with confidence in each other, but they have not had any shortage
of ups and downs in the process, either…

Their personal trust is very important. It can be influential
in reaching a settlement, but they have to also convince their
nations. At the end of the day, the plan that they agreed to will
go to a referendum on each side and they have to be successful on
both sides. What was lacking in the Annan plan were carrots and
sticks. This time they have to make sure that such a mechanism is
somehow integrated into their settlement.

Obama and Armenian genocide claims

April 24 is approaching. Do you think President Obama is going to
use the "G word" in the traditional presidential address on the issue?

I think he is a constructive leader. He wants to give Turkey
and Armenia a chance to work out their differences, sit down and
start a dialogue. He also wants Azerbaijan to have that kind of a
relationship with Armenia. And he also would like to see a solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between the Azerbaijanis and the
Armenians. Given all of this, I think he will refrain from using
the "G word" because that would put an end to all these attempts at
dialogue. That’s going to create a negative platform on which we will
not be able to continue this dialogue.