‘FRENCH PRESIDENCY SHOWS EUROPE DOES NOT WANT TO BUILD WALLS’
Today’s Zaman
Dec 19 2008
Turkey
France’s term presidency of the European Union has demonstrated that
Europe seeks to respond to the challenges of globalization with more
involvement rather than detachment and that it would be easier to
do this with Turkey at its side, the foreign policy architect of the
Turkish government has said.
"President [Nicolas] Sarkozy was everywhere. He was active in Syria and
Darfur. He also tried to establish the Union for the Mediterranean,"
said Ahmet Davutoglu, the chief advisor to the prime minister of
Turkey, speaking yesterday at a seminar in Paris held at the French
Senate.
There are only two options in the globalizing world for Europe, he
said, and these are either integrating with neighboring regions or for
Europe to build "an unseen [Great] Wall of China" around it. "Walls
cannot solve problems. In this age of globalism, walls should not be
an option," he said at a seminar titled "Turkey and Europe after the
French Presidency of the EU" organized by the International Relations
Institute of France (Ifri) and the Turkish Economic and Social Studies
Foundation (TESEV).
Davutoglu added that Europe can achieve integration by establishing
geostrategic extensions into neighboring zones, maintaining a dynamic
demographic and creating a multicultural environment. "France has
a multi-dimensional geography. It has Atlantic and Central European
ties with extensions to Africa," he said, adding that there are only
three other European countries with such a character of "natural
extensions": Britain, Germany and Spain. He said Turkey is the only
candidate country with the same attributes, since Turkish ties extend
to the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Europe.
"We have more Albanians living in Turkey than in Albania. We have
more Chechens living in Turkey than in Chechnya. We have more Bosnians
living in Turkey than in Bosnia. We have more Kurds living in Turkey
than in northern Iraq." Davutoglu argued that this character of
Turkey is an asset for Europe if it continues to be involved in the
world scene.
"How is the world going to be in 2050? Where is the European Union
going to be standing? Where is France going to be standing? We have
to develop a common vision to understand that, and for that we need
each other," he stressed.
Likening the Turkish-French relationship to a three-legged table
comprising bilateral relations, relations related to the EU and
relations regarding regional and global issues, Davutoglu said,
"Nobody can expect from Turkey that one leg should be avoided."
French senator: Better with us
French Senator Pierre Fauchon said in his welcoming remarks that he
supports Turkey’s accession to the EU. "The presence of Turks among
us is good. It is better for Turkey to be with us rather than lost
in other challenges," he said.
He also added that he "admired" the Turkish Constitutional Court, which
ruled this year not to close the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) and instead issued a "warning" in the case against the AK
Party for being the "center of anti-secular activities." Most observers
noted that the case had kept the government busy domestically,
diverting efforts to pursue reforms that would accelerate the EU
accession process.
Another senator, Xavier de Villepin, who is also on the Ifri board of
directors, commented on a bill that would make denial of the Armenian
"genocide" a crime. The bill was accepted at a sub-commission in the
French legislature, but it has not yet come up on the Senate agenda.
"The issue could boomerang on us. Others could pass similar regulations
against us. It could create huge diplomatic problems and make
international relations difficult," he said.
Turkey objects to the claims of "genocide," arguing that the Armenian
death toll during World War I at the hands of the Ottoman Empire
has been exaggerated and that most victims died from starvation or
disease. Turkey also argues that many Turks were killed by Armenian
groups allied with the enemy against Turks.
Meanwhile, Mensur Akgun, TESEV’s foreign policy director, mentioned
the stalled state of the Turkish-EU relations, in which only eight
of the 33 negotiation chapters have been opened.
"France alone blocked five chapters, and eight chapters were suspended
due to the Cyprus problem," he added.
Seminar participants included Professor Beril Dedeoglu from Galatasaray
University in İstanbul, Hakan Altınay from the Open Society Institute
in Ä°stanbul, French journalist Marc Semo, Turkish journalist Semih
Ä°diz, Pierre Manent from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Oguz Demiralp from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
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