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

Germany, France Nudge Open EU Door to Turkey

By The Editors, on 12 Mar 2013, Global Insider

In February, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Turkey, indicating a willingness to help Turkey revive stalled negotiations over its longstanding bid for European Union membership. In an email interview, Rana Deep Islam, a project manager with Stiftung Mercator whose research focuses on Turkey-EU relations, explained the state of Turkey’s EU accession bid and how it could move forward.

WPR: What is behind Germany’s recent statement that it will support reviving Turkey’s EU accession process?

Rana Deep Islam: The German government under Merkel still does not have a clear-cut policy on how it wants to handle Turkey’s membership aspirations. On one hand, Merkel has said repeatedly that she prefers a so-called privileged partnership over full-fledged EU membership for Turkey. On the other hand, Germany still treads the path of negotiations and has not blocked the process as, for example, France did in the past. The German government’s announcement of support for the opening of a new chapter in negotiations reflects this seeming paradox, or German bipolarity, in the Turkey-EU context. Reviving the accession talks by extending negotiations to new domains might push the process forward in the short term. But it’s still unclear what Merkel envisions more broadly for the crucial relationship between Turkey and the EU. Nor is it clear how Merkel views the accession negotiations beyond their narrow technical aspects, which deal primarily with Turkey’s administrative and bureaucratic capacity to adopt the EU’s “acquis communautaire” — the French term the EU uses to describe the shared rights and obligations within the union.

WPR: How significant is French President Francois Hollande’s statement that he was willing to unblock accession talks with Turkey, and what are the reasons for this political shift?

Islam: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy blocked the accession talks on chapters that he believed would make Turkey’s accession inevitable. Hollande’s willingness to give up this policy definitively is a step in the right direction and creates space for diplomatic maneuvering. However, it does not turn France into a proactive advocate for Turkey’s membership. Turkey’s prospects for joining the EU will only improve significantly if Turkey succeeds in finally regaining an intra-European alliance of supporters, as France and Germany formerly were under President Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Against this backdrop, Hollande’s intentions should be considered primarily strategic. First, he wanted to send a sign of good will to the Turkish government. In doing this he also passed the ball, if not the responsibility, to Ankara. Now it is up to Turkey to take up this initiative and respond appropriately. Second, Hollande’s shift needs to be seen in the context of a complex foreign policy agenda. With regard to the Middle East and North Africa, the EU cannot afford to act without Turkey on its side. France realized that reinvigorating the accession talks could be a useful tool to increase the EU’s capacity to act externally.

WPR: What are Turkey’s current EU aspirations and how likely are they to be realized in the near to medium term?

Islam: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently declared that his country wants to join the EU as a fully integrated member by the year 2023. If this does not occur, Ankara will adjust its policy accordingly and finally give up its EU ambitions entirely. But this seemingly clear articulation of Turkey’s position notwithstanding, the Erdogan government falters when it comes to adopting the norms and values of the EU, which is a precondition for accession. The domestic reform process that Erdogan pushed during the first years of his administration has slowed down significantly. Civil rights are at stake, with many journalists in jail. Apart from the “yes or no” dichotomy of the membership discourse, it is currently not clear if Erdogan still supports the Europeanization of Turkish politics and society. Joining the union, though, is not a matter of cherry-picking but of rights and duties. Therefore, refreshing the EU-Turkey membership talks also implies an imperative for a further liberalization of Turkish domestic politics. Erdogan still needs to show his willingness to seriously deliver on this front.

Photo: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (European Commission photo).

via WPR Article | Global Insider: Germany, France Nudge Open EU Door to Turkey.

March 13, 2013
Reinfeldt presses Turkey to reform terror laws

Reinfeldt presses Turkey to reform terror laws

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Tuesday called on Turkey to overhaul its terrorism laws, used by the country’s courts to jail journalists, as he met with President Abdullah Gül.

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“Part of the constitution needs to clearly address the issue of freedom of the media,” Reinfeldt said during a press conference with Gül in Stockholm.

The Turkish parliament formed a special committee in May last year to draft a basic law that would replace the current constitution dating back to a military coup in 1980.

Turkey is the leading jailer of journalists worldwide, imprisoning even more than China or Iran, according to an October report by the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Many journalists were being detained under the country’s broadly defined terrorism laws, according to Reinfeldt.

“We hope that a full judicial package adopted by the government will lead to a more narrow definition of terrorism,” he said.

“This is also an issue of how it is used by free-standing courts. But we have discussed it and I think reform is now on its way,” he added.

SEE ALSO: Behind the scenes at the state dinner for Turkish president Abdullah Gül

But the Turkish leader said Europe’s high standards for freedom of speech and other human rights could make countries vulnerable to terrorism.

“Democracy, human rights, freedom of expression standards in Europe are very high. Unfortunately at times, terrorism exploits that,” Gül said.

“Those people who have something to do with terrorism… make use of this superiority of European democracies, and turn it into a weakness in a way,” he added.

Turkish intelligence services and security forces were “always in close communication” with their European counterparts and shared information when necessary, he noted.

Reinfeldt also emphasized his hope to see long-stalled negotiations on Turkey’s application for membership in the European Union get a fresh start.

“We hope to be able to open a new negotiation chapter this spring,” said Reinfeldt, explaining that Turkey had made progress on the issue of minorities rights.

“Our discussions about the rights of Kurds have clearly developed over the years.”

Gül explained that some EU member states have created obstacles for Turkey’s EU membership bid, but asserted that “that’s not a reason to give up on membership”.

Gül’s visit to Stockholm will also resulted in the signing of a strategic partnership agreement on green energy technology cooperation between Sweden and Turkey.

TT/The Local/dl

via Reinfeldt presses Turkey to reform terror laws – The Local.

March 13, 2013
Accession impossible

Although a member of numerous regional and international organisations, Turkey is still not in the EU, despite negotiations dating back some 50 years. A columnist wonders if the the country has missed its chance to become anything more than an auxiliary to US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Öztin Akgüc

Since the beginning of the 1960s, Turkey has planned on joining the European Union. At the time when this process began, the union, which was then called the European Economic Community, had only six members. Today Turkey is still involved in accession talks with the European Union, which now has 27 members and will shortly welcome a 28th with the inclusion of Croatia [on July 1].

Since 1969, has also been a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank. At the same time Turkey has joined a wide range of other international organisations like the OECD, and the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), of which it was a one of the principal founders. Of course, it is also a member of NATO and, it seems, flirting with the idea of joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

In view of this context, you might assume that Turkey was very much an active player in world politics. But is this the true story? In any case, I am one of those who, right from the start, argued that Turkey could not join the European Union.

Regardless of how you view the Union and the integration process, you have to admit that both of these concepts have to be based on shared values. Given that Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria are part of the EU, and now that Croatia is about join, it is worth wondering: why should Turkey not be a member of the Union?

Combatting Moscow’s influence

In my view, these countries became members of the EU for reasons that are first and foremost political. In the early 1990s in the wake of the collapse of the USSR and the end of Comecon [the economic organisation of the Soviet Bloc], the view was that it would be necessary to regroup these countries in a structure to prevent them from being reabsorbed by Moscow’s sphere of influence.

The structure best suited to this purpose was the European Union, and this policy was encouraged by the Clinton administration. Croatia, which was close to Germany, played a critical role in the breakup of Yugoslavia. That is the reason why I believe that it really deserves its place in the European Union. On the contrary, there is no political reason to justify Turkish accession to the EU. And even if Turkey is flirting with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, even if it claims that it amounts to a viable alternative, everyone knows it will not be possible. Moreover, some consider the idea to be a political joke.

The reality of its political role is that Turkey acts as a second class subcontractor for the United States in the Middle East. The lack of political awareness in large sections of society, the calibre of Turkey’s politicians, the quality of its media, the capacity and the level of our entrepreneurs and civil servants have unfortunately all helped to confine Turkey to this supporting role.

‘Second-class subcontractor’

We should not delude ourselves with terms like co-president [an allusion to Turkey’s co-presidency of the Greater Middle East Initiative launched by George W. Bush, which was the subject of intense criticism in Turkish nationalist circles], but rather take stock of this sad reality. I use the term “second-class subcontractor” because I cannot find a better one to describe our situation with regard to the largely preferential treatment accorded to Israel.

For as long as large sections of our society have yet to develop a greater awareness of their citizenship, we will continue to be beguiled by empty notions about ourselves, but the situation of our country will not change.

ON THE WEB

Original article at Cumhuriyet tr

OPINION

Really never?

“Turkey will never be part of the EU,” announces the headline of an article recently published in the German tabloid Bild. But “what Bild does not realise is that the word “never” does not feature in the lexicon of the EU,” says Milliyet, which points out that the EU has kept the Turks waiting without saying if their patience will ever be rewarded. For the Istanbul daily,

We have now reached a point where the central question is no longer ‘Will Turkey ever be be a member?’ but rather ‘Does Turkey still want to become a member?’

However, the newspaper continues —

Political decisions in EU member states, which are linked to the economic situation in those countries, will have a decisive impact on Turkish accession. […] The major fear in Ankara is that the trend of ‘letting citizens decide’ will become standard practice in the negotiation process.”

via Turkey: Accession impossible | Presseurop (English).

March 12, 2013
Turkish President Demands Deep Investigation into German House Fire

Warning from Ankara: Turkey Suspicious After German House Fire

DPA

The Turkish government is demanding a detailed investigation into a housefire which killed eight people with Turkish backgrounds in the southern German town of Backnang on Sunday morning. The suspicion shows that trust has not yet returned between Ankara and Berlin.

German officials say that initial investigations show no sign of a xenophobic arson attack. But following a devastating fire early Sunday morning in the southern German town of Backnang — in which eight people with Turkish backgrounds were killed, including seven children — Turkey is demanding that all doubt about the cause of the fire be removed.

“Unfortunately, there have in the past been arson attacks and murders perpetrated against our citizens” Turkish President Abdullah Gül said on Monday, according to reports in the Turkish media. “That’s why we are considering all possibilities.”

Gül isn’t alone in his concern. On Sunday, Ankara’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag struck a similar tone. “It fills us with grief,” he tweeted, in reference to the fire. “From Germany, we expect a clarification for the real cause of the fire which leaves no room for doubt.” In addition, two politicians from Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party traveled to Germany on Sunday to gain a first-hand impression of the investigation.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also released a statement saying Ankara expects a detailed investigation. DITIB, the largest Muslim association in Germany, likewise urged speed and thoroughness. “Unnecessary speculation can only be avoided by way of a rapid, transparent and credible conclusion to the investigation,” the group said in a statement.

Investigators were quick to conclude that the blaze was not likely the result of arson, a swift conclusion DITIB officials found unseemly. The early comments about the possible cause of the fire, the group said, “did not sound credible.”

Initial Suspicion

The fire began in the early morning hours of Sunday in the town just northeast of Stuttgart. According to news reports, by the time fire fighters reached the site — a former leather factory which had been converted into residential apartments — flames were already shooting out of the windows. The seven children who lost their lives were between six months and 16 years old. The eighth victim was their 40-year-old mother, according to German news reports. Three additional children survived the fire and the father was not home at the time of the blaze.

Initial suspicion focused on a wood stove in the apartment though on Monday officials were investigating whether faulty wiring could be to blame after a previous tenant reported having had repeated electrical problems. The investigation will take at least several days and could last weeks, officials said on Monday.

The apartment where the fire began is located above a German-Turkish cultural center. According to media reports, the operator of a nearby bar saved the three children who survived.

The warnings from Ankara highlight the mistrust between Germany and its Turkish minority, particularly following the revelation in late 2011 that a series of murders targeting victims of Turkish background had been committed by a neo-Nazi terror cell. For a decade prior to that case’s resolution, officials had suspected that the victims had belonged to an impenetrable Turkish underworld. The German press had often referred to the killings with the disparaging moniker, the “Döner murders” because some of the victims had owned fast food restaurants selling döner kebabs.

Merkel Deeply Shaken

In addition, Turkish immigrants were the target of several deadly arson attacks in the years immediately following German reunification, particularly in Mölln in 1992 and Solingen in 1993. A total of eight people died in those fires.

German officials appear to be taking the Sunday morning fire very seriously. Governor Winfried Kretschmann of Baden-Württemberg, the state where the fire took place, traveled to Backnang on Sunday together with Turkey’s ambassador to Germany, Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu. The state’s interior minister, Reinhold Gall, likewise visited the site of the fire.

Angela Merkel also voiced her grief on Monday. The chancellor’s deputy spokesman Georg Streiter told reporters that she was deeply shaken by the news and that the Chancellery has offered all assistance necessary to the government of Baden-Württemberg. “The chancellor has no doubt that the officials responsible will not rest until the cause of the fire has been clarified,” Streiter said.

cgh — with wire stories

via Turkish President Demands Deep Investigation into German House Fire – SPIEGEL ONLINE.

March 12, 2013
Turkey, Germany arrest Iranians in nuclear smuggling scheme

Germany and Turkish security officials have caught smugglers suspected of transporting nuclear materials from India to the Iranian city of Arak, overseas media reports.

Ynet News says the security officials conducted a simultaneous raid in Germany and in Istanbul. The raid led to several arrests: A Turkish citizen who was born in Iranian was found with documents that detailed the smuggling and was arrested in Istanbul. And another Iranian suspect was detained and arrested at Ataturk Airport. German police, meanwhile, are holding five Iranian suspects, Ynet says.

Two other suspects are at-large. Ynet reports that Turkish customs officials raided the home of an Iranian couple suspected of involvement in the smuggling operation. But the two weren’t at the house, and police are still seeking their whereabouts, Ynet says.

via Turkey, Germany arrest Iranians in nuclear smuggling scheme – Washington Times.

March 12, 2013
Greece, Turkey Can’t Agree On Sea Deal

Only days after Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras went to Turkey to meet his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to try to resolve differences over gas and oil exploration in the sea between the countries, a further breach has developed. The newspaper Kathimerini reported that Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and his Turkish peer, Ahmet Davutoglu are going to have to keep negotiating.

They said they were hopeful of a resolution, usually viewed as diplomatic language to mean the differences are difficult to overcome but they want to put a positive spin on it for the public. They told the newspaper in separate interviews they would keep talking although Greece is insisting on using international law regarding the seas that Turkey does not subscribe to. Ankara wants a bilateral agreement for the creation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Aegean.

The foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey told Sunday’s Kathimerini in separate interviews that they are hopeful the two countries can resolve their differences in the Aegean, although Athens is using international law as its guideline for the creation of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while Ankara wants there to be a bilateral agreement.

“We are in discussions and searching for common ground because both sides understand how great the benefit would be if we are able to delineate the continental shelf between us from Evros to Kastellorizo,” said Avramopoulos.

“We have some different views and approaches to how the exclusive economic zone or other sensitive issues are defined,” Davutoglu said. “We know there are differences of opinion. The important thing is whether we will let these be an obstacle, like a Berlin Wall, which is not sustainable, logical or ethical.”

Turkey argues that Greek islands close to its coast should not be taken into account when determining the economic zone and that the median line of the Aegean should be set as a boundary. Greece claims the Law of the Sea means that all islands must be taken into account when setting out the EEZ.

“We are operating based on our planning and strategy, with the framework of our sovereign rights as derived from international law,» said Avramopoulos. “Nobody should doubt our willingness and determination to defend this. International law is our gospel.”

“Of course international law and national sovereignty form the backbone of these negotiations but… the best way to solve these problems is through bilateral dialogue because the Aegean is a particular case with thousands of islands and at the same time is part of the wider Mediterranean,” said Davutoglu.

“Turkey has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean,” he added. “Nobody can expect Turkey to remain landlocked due to certain measures. We can find a solution whereby all these islands and Turkey’s interests as the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean can be taken into account. These are not conflicting positions.”

Greece recently sent a diplomatic note to the United Nations complaining that Turkey had issued permits to a state-run company to search for gas and oil in areas covering the Greek continental shelf. Avramopoulos was adamant that Athens would resist any attempts by Turkey to go ahead with such plans.

“It has been proven that unilateral moves, which are outside of the framework of international law, do not help and should be avoided,” he said. “We will not accept actions that challenge our sovereign rights. Such a development would have serious consequences for our bilateral relations at a time when both sides are trying to create a basis for cooperation in many areas.”

Davutoglu indicated that Ankara had no intention of causing rifts with Greece or of taking advantage of any weaknesses caused by its economic crisis. “We want to see a strong, stable and prosperous neighbor next to us. Some extremists in Greece or Turkey may think this is a zero-sum game but I can assure you that it is quite the opposite,” he said.

“In the 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s, this mentality existed but things have changed now. Young Greeks watch Turkish soap operas and Turks go to Greek islands for holidays,” added the Turkish foreign minister.

via Greece, Turkey Can’t Agree On Sea Deal | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece.

March 11, 2013