TURKEY SHOULD NOT BE FULL OR PRIVILEGED EU MEMBER
By Nilgun Gulcan (U.S.A.K.)
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Dec 8 2006
The European Union leaders have been playing very dirty games with
Turkey. There is no criteria for Turkey’s membership. They are changing
the main principles when Turkey has fulfilled those which required
by the EU. The Brussels asks Turkey such a democracy and economy
which the current members do not have got. However Turkey shows great
efforts to catch the asked criteria. Turkey’s democracy and economy
are better than the new comers, namely Bulgaria and Romania. Turkey
has better human rights record than many EU countries. However talks
with Turkey is in danger. Why? What happened?
– Has Turkish economy collapsed?
– No. Turkish economy has boomed. The growth rate is among the
fastest economies.
– Has Turkey’s democracy have any difficulties?
– No. Tayyip Erdogan is the strongest civilian Prime Minister in
Turkish political history.
– Are the minorities under governmental pressure?
– No. All the minority schools, newspapers, societies, churches, etc.
are open and freely service to their people.
The only problem is Cyprus. Actually, the Southern Cyprus – Greek
Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus was established as a Turkish and Greek
Cyprus. However The Greeks made a military coup, and occupied all
the seats assigned to the Turkish Cypriots by the Constitution. Many
Turks were massacred and many more were tortured. If Turkey did not
intervene the clashes, there have been no Turkish Cypriot on the
island. The Cyprus Issue would have been another Bosnia or Kosova
story. In another word, Turkey’s only crime is to save the Turkish
Cypriots from a massacre. Although the aggressive side was the Greeks
and they aimed to annex the whole island to the Greece motherland,
the European Union (Community) punished the Turkish Cypriots and
Turkey. When the Greeks usurped all legal and political rights
granted by Cyprus Constitution and when the Greeks seized all of the
Turkish properties (houses, lands etc.) without legitimate authority,
Turkish Cypriots established their own state: The Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC). They had no chance but the TRNC, because they
were not able to pass the border. They could not become civil servant
in the south; they could not sell or use their own territories etc.
Strangely the TRNC was recognized by only Turkey. The Southern Greek
Cyprus was recognized by the West as the only legitimate body on
the island. Naturally the Turkish people saw this unjust attitude
as religious solidarity. Christian West was supporting the Christian
Greeks despite of their crimes in the Cyprus Issue. The European Union,
under the pressure from Greece, imposed a severe isolation.
Now the Turkish Cypriots cannot make trade, cannot directly fly
to any country, and even they cannot post a letter to any European
country. In another word, they were the victims, and they have been
punished. In 2004, the United Nations proposed a peace plan (Annan
Plan). The EU leaders promised Turkey and the TRNC that all isolation
would be ended if the Turkish side supports the Annan Plan. The EU
also warned that those who say ‘no’ to the Plan would be punished.
Turkish Cypriots strongly supported the plan and re-unification of
the island. However the Greeks strongly rejected the Annan Plan.
Papadapulos, leader of the Greek side, said "we do not want to lose
our state for re-unification". Strangely against, the EU did not keep
its own word. Not only the EU, but also the US did also not keep its
promise. Thus the Christian Cypriots were accepted as full member of
the European Union, while the Muslim Cypriots were left outside. The
severe isolation continues on the Turkish Cypriots, and the Greek
Cypriots are enjoying the EU full membership. The Greek Cypriots have
been doing anything possible to prevent Turkey’s EU membership talks.
They create problems, they reject anything positive for Turkey etc.
The Greeks do not want to make any negotiation to solve the Cyprus
Problem, because they have no problem to make compromise. They think
that it is a matter of time, and Turkey will have to give up in
insisting a just solution in Cyprus. According to the Greek side,
Turkey will not back the Turkish Cypriots for EU membership. This
is a clear blackmail. The Greek Cyprus with Greece halt Turkey’s
EU membership.
What is not understandable is that France, Germany and Austria leaders
allow the Greeks playing dirty games because Chirac and Merkel are
also against Turkey’s membership. According to them, Turkey is a Muslim
country and not belongs to the ‘Christian European’ civilization. They
cannot find any excuse for their anti-Turkey policies and therefore
they back the Greeks. They all know that Turkey’s EU membership and the
Cyprus issue are separate issues. However they play domestic Christian
and even racist politics at the EU level. Chirac and Merkel divide
the European continent as ‘Christian’ and ‘Muslim’ one. They ignore
more than 100 million Muslim Europeans. For Chirac, the 600.000-Greek
Cyprus is more important than 75 million-Turkey, because Chirac wants
the religious French, Armenian and Greek votes in France.
Turkey on the other hand offers new options to the EU. Mr. Erdogan
makes efforts to solve the Cyprus problem. He has made a lot of
compromises. However he has to understand that the EU does not want
any solution for neither Cyprus Problem, nor Turkey’s EU membership.
The Dark Ages understanding dominates the EU, and Turkey will never
able to satisfy the EU by making compromises. Turkey should stop all
this comedy, and clearly say a ‘NO’ to the European Union. We the
Turks do not need the full, half or privileged EU membership.