Turkish Forum

Category: EU Members

European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Turkey on 17 Dec. 2004

  • Czech PM says support Turkey’s unconditional EU accession

    Czech PM says support Turkey’s unconditional EU accession

    ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) — Czech Prime Minister Marek Topolanek Wednesday said his country support Turkey’s full-fledged membership in the European Union, rejecting any privileged partnership or such formulas.

    The Czech Republic “supports an unconditional EU accession for Turkey. Privileged partnership or such formulas cannot be accepted,” Topolanek told a joint press conference in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his official visit to Turkey.

    “Any candidate country which complies with the criteria should have the rights to become an EU member,” he said, adding that “This is how the union can strengthen security, prosperity and stability.”

    Turkey has been seeking an EU membership. The country launched accession talks with the European Union since 2005, but the negotiation have only tackled eight out of the total 35 chapters so far.

    The EU has criticized Turkey over its slow reforms concerning the freedom of speech and the rights of non-Muslim groups as well as women, and corruption.

    Czech PM says support Turkey’s unconditional EU accession_English_Xinhua.

  • Bildung und Integration in Deutschland: Status Quo und Perspektiven

    Bildung und Integration in Deutschland: Status Quo und Perspektiven

    Bildung und Integration in Deutschland: Status Quo und Perspektiven«

    9:15 Uhr REGISTRIERUNG

    10:00 Uhr BEGRÜSSUNG
    Juergen Boos Geschäftsführer, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Frankfurt a.M.
    Dr. Mark Schiffhauer Mitglied der Geschäftsführung, Maleki Group, Frankfurt a.M.

    10:15 Uhr FORUM A: BILDUNG UND INTEGRATION IN DEUTSCHLAND: STATUS QUO UND PERSPEKTIVEN

    Dr. Lale Akgün, MdB Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages, Berlin

    Bekir Albogga Islamwissenschaftler und Referatsleiter für interreligiöse und interkulturelle Zusammenarbeit, »Türkisch-Islamische Union der Anstalt
    für Religion« (DITIB), Köln

    Seyran Ates¸ Autorin und Anwältin, Deutschland

    Prof. Dr. Ursula Boos-Nünning Professorin für Migrationspädagogik, Fachbereich Bildungswissenschaften,
    Universität Duisburg-Essen

    Dr. Necla Kelek Soziologin und Frauenrechtlerin, Deutschland

    Kenan Kolat Bundesvorsitzender, Türkische Gemeinde Deutschland, Berlin

    Moderator
    Martin Spiewak Journalist, DIE ZEIT, Hamburg

  • Carl Bildt on the terrorist attack in Turkey

    Carl Bildt on the terrorist attack in Turkey

    “Fifteen soldiers have been killed in an attack carried out by the terror organisation PKK in south-eastern Turkey. It is absolutely clear that we must strongly condemn attacks of this type.

    “The democratic reform process in Turkey is now gradually creating better conditions, also for those regions of the country that are dominated by Kurdish population groups, and it is these positive developments that the PKK wants to curb by means of terror.”

    Carl Bildt on the terrorist attack in Turkey.

  • Strategic Focus on Turkey Project (SFT)

    Strategic Focus on Turkey Project (SFT)

     

     

    This project is designed to adopt a distinctive approach on Turkey. Most of the research and policy work undertaken on Turkey in the US and Europe concentrates either on the complications for bilateral US-Turkey relations of the US intervention in Iraq, or on Turkey’s internal economic and political developments and their impact on the negotiations over Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU).

    The dimension that appears to receive far less attention in current policy and contemporary academic discussions is Turkey’s pivotal geo-political and geo-economic position and, therefore, the impacts that Turkish policies will likely have upon the long-term stability and prosperity of the region that surrounds it.

    In essence, Turkey is assessed currently in the US within the prism of Iraq and in many European capitals only as a problem that the EU needs to confront. A better understanding of how Turkey can help deal with some of the biggest geo-political and geo-economic challenges facing the US, EU and beyond will assist in building a more sophisticated comprehension of Turkey’s role as a constructive partner to the US, the EU member states and other countries.

    Doğan Holding, one of Turkey’s preeminent business groups, is generously supporting this project.

    Areas of focus for SFT:

    • Turkey’s role in the Middle East
    • Turkey’s role in establishing a diversified set of energy options for the EU
    • Turkey’s role in the economic development and regional integration of the Black Sea area
    • Turkey’s relationships with the Caucasus and Central Asia and political stability in the region
    • Turkey’s contributions to EU and NATO-led peace-keeping missions and other security operations
    • Turkey’s role as a magnet for Foreign Direct Investment and as a growing investor regionally

    Advisory Board

    Chatham House is forming an Advisory Board for the project. This will be composed of individuals with extensive experience and expertise from international affairs, media, civil society and business. The Board’s purpose is to provide long-term guidance to the project.

    SFT Contact

    The Strategic Focus on Turkey Project is run by Fadi Hakura, Associate Fellow at Chatham House. If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact:

     

     

     

     

     

    Fadi Hakura
    +44 (0)7970 172541
    Email Fadi Hakura

  • Turkey’s widening diplomatic horizons

    Turkey’s widening diplomatic horizons

    Long before Turkey sought to join the European Union, the European powers were eager to penetrate deep into Turkey’s hinterland.

    On the eastern side of the Bosphorus, maybe just 20 steps into Asia, stands one of the finest relics of this failed imperial ambition.

    Hydarpasha railway station was designed by two German architects Otto Ritter and Helmut Conu in the neo-renaissance style. That at least is what the guidebooks tell you.

    The building sits astride the end of the platforms with a tower at each of its front corners looking for all the world like some provincial German town hall.

    The stone is dirty. The whole edifice slightly decaying. But once inside the vaulted ticket office, there is no doubting the grandeur of the enterprise of which this was the westernmost gateway.

    BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Turkey’s widening diplomatic horizons

  • Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises

    Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises

    STRASBOURG, France: President Dimitris Christofias of Cyprus urged the U.N. and Turkish Cypriot leaders on Tuesday to support his call to abolish annual military exercises and to demilitarize Cyprus’ divided capital city.

    Christofias said the moves would “improve the climate” and increase the chances of success in reunification talks with his Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

    The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to a coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece. Turkey keeps 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, and a small number of Greek troops are stationed in the south. A U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separates the two communities.

    Cypriot president seeks end to military exercises – International Herald Tribune.