ERDOGAN LASHED OUT AT GERMANY AND FRANCE FOR "UNFAIR GAME" WITH TURKEY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 22:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the leaders
of Germany and France for opposing Turkey’s accession to the European
Union, saying the rules of the game cannot be changed halfway through.

"I have spoken a lot with both Mr. Sarkozy and Mrs. Merkel. We should
first of all know that nobody is permanent in these offices. Everybody
comes and goes. I spoke about these issues with former German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as well, but I never heard such things
from him and, on the contrary, Schroeder had always stated his
positive thoughts, without mentioning such things as ‘privileged
partnership.’ He said, ‘Membership is a right for Turkey, as for
everybody.’ He said, ‘Turkey will become a member of the EU when the
chapters are done.’ That’s how it needs to be," Today’s Zaman cited
Erdogan as saying.

The leaders of Germany and France denounced the idea of expanding
the European Union indefinitely to include new members such as
Turkey. Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has advocated having
a vaguely defined partnership with the largely Muslim Turkey, said,
"We cannot take in everyone in Europe as a full member."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a longtime opponent of Turkish
membership, advocated discussing a common economic and security forum
with Turkey as an alternative.

"When Angela Merkel says Europe must have borders, she is right –
because a Europe without borders would be a Europe without a will,
without identity, without values," he said.