The majority of Germans with a Turkish background – 57 percent – have their own income, revealed the study, carried out by Berlin-based research institute Info and published in the Handelsblatt newspaper. Seventeen percent receive social support.
Info director Holger Liljeberg attributed the transactions to Turks’ “very strong” connection to their homeland. The study also found that some 18 percent of German Turks send goods and food to their friends and relatives – at an average value of €250 a year.
Altogether that amounts to around €90 million in goods and a billion euros in money.
Around half of the 1,000 German Turks asked in the survey said they owned property either in Germany or Turkey, while a third had property in Turkey.
“These figures also underscore the desire of many Turks to make provisions should they move back to Turkey one day,” said Liljeberg.
The study also found that the strong connection to Turkey led many to travel there on a regular basis. “On average the Turks in Germany travel to Turkey 1.9 times a year,” said Liljeberg, adding that one in four Turks travel to Turkey three or four times a year.
“The strong family connections guarantee lively traffic between the two countries, and ensure that contacts don’t break,” he said.
The Local/bk
via German Turks ‘send a billion euros to Turkey’ – The Local.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled for a 2-day visit in Germany, where he will also meet Angela Merkel to discuss the civil war in Syria.
By DPA | Oct.30, 2012 | 10:51 AM | 1
The new Turkish embassy in Berlin – AP – October 29, 2012.
Exterior view of the new Turkish embassy in Berlin, Germany, October 29, 2012. Photo by AP
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to inaugurate a new Turkish embassy in Berlin on Tuesday, with the grandiose building underlining his nation’s ambition to become a member of the European Union.
The mission, Turkey’s largest abroad, has been erected in the German capital’s upscale Tiergarten embassy district, on the site where a Turkish embassy stood until Allied bombardment late in World War II left much of the city in rubble.
The 30-million-euro (39-million-dollar) building, entered through a 16-metre-high copper-lined archway, is located between the missions of South Africa and Italy.
Erdogan was to wrap up his visit to Berlin on Wednesday, when he meets Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the conflict in Syria. More than 100,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey.
Some 2.5 million people living in Germany have ethnic Turkish roots. The two nations have close trade ties.
The embassy building is divided into two parts: the so-called “palace,” which contains reception areas and the ambassador’s office; and the “city,” which contains office space for 100 staff.
Between them is an atrium named after the Bosporus, the waterway separating the European and Asian parts of Turkey.
Thomas Hillig, one of the three architects, said the modern lines and grandeur of the building were an expression of Turkey’s desire to join the European Union, adding, “Turkey wants to show itself as a modern, open nation.”
Turkish ornamentation on the building includes the national logo and more subtle features such as a traditional Islamic pattern known as girih interlacing, which is engraved on the window glass.
“It’s meant to look Turkish and not be just a faceless block,” Hillig said.
Tiergarten was picked as the city’s embassy neighborhood under the Nazis, when the architect Albert Speer was commissioned to remake the city and the Axis allies Italy and Japan built their embassies there.
via Turkey’s Berlin embassy moves back into its WWII home – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.
(Reuters) – The European Union will lose Turkey if it doesn’t grant it membership by 2023, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
It was the first time Erdogan has given an indication of how long Ankara might continue down the path towards EU entry, and his comments came at a time of growing alienation between Turkey and a political entity it feels has cold-shouldered it.
Turkey’s bid to join the EU, officially launched in 2005, has virtually ground to a halt in recent years due to opposition from core EU members and the failure to find a solution to the dispute over the divided island of Cyprus.
Asked during a panel discussion in Berlin on Tuesday night if Turkey would be an EU member by 2023, Erdogan answered, “they probably won’t string us along that long. But if they do string us along until then the European Union will lose out, and at the very least they will lose Turkey.”
Turkey will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its foundation as a republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire in 2023.
The predominantly Muslim but secular country of some 74 million people would strengthen the European Union, Erdogan said. Some 6 million Turks already live within the European Union, about 3 million of them in Germany, he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who Erdogan will meet on Wednesday, opposes full EU membership and favors a privileged partnership instead, although foreign minister Guido Westerwelle supports Ankara’s bid.
Speaking at the opening of Turkey’s new embassy building in Berlin, Westerwelle criticized the impasse in accession talks. “It is bad for both sides and next year, we want to make a new beginning to overcome this standstill.”
Earlier this month Turkey’s economy minister Zafer Caglayan scoffed at the EU’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize and condemned the bloc as the most hypocritical organization in the world, saying it had “kept Turkey waiting at its door for 50 years.”
Turkey has completed only one of 35 policy “chapters” every accession candidate must conclude. All but 13 policy chapters in Ankara’s negotiations are blocked and the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, says Turkey does not yet meet required standards on human rights and freedom of speech.
(Writing by Alexandra Hudson; editing by Jason Webb)
via EU will lose Turkey if it hasn’t joined by 2023: Erdogan | Reuters.
While the EU continues to work toward a solution to the eurozone crisis, Turkey has experienced a period of strong economic growth. Soli Özel argues that although Turkey’s interest in EU membership has declined in the wake of the crisis, the country could still gain substantial benefits from European integration. The crisis may also have a positive effect for Turkey if it produces a more flexible arrangement in the EU’s structure, potentially opening the door for the country’s accession.
During a recent TV interview, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan jokingly referred to a conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin: following questions from Putin regarding Turkey’s desire to enter the EU, Erdogan replied “Include us in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization then we might give up on the EU”. A quip is a quip, but in the context of the EU’s declining appeal for and influence over Turkey it is worth taking note of.
Officially Turkey’s quest for EU membership continues. The Minister for EU Affairs, Egemen Bagis, spends a lot of time and energy to keep the flame alive even if, at times, he cannot conceal his exasperation with his European counterparts. The Minister also has a hard time, like the rest of his cabinet colleagues, defending Turkey’s recent record on freedom of expression and freedom of the press as well as many of the outlandish, if not outrageous, court decisions that make a mockery of the concept of the “rule of law”. Rare are the moments these days when the possibility of EU membership provides the framework for debate on any big political issue. Apart from the die-hard integrationists, who have a difficult time finding an audience for the EU process, membership related issues are of little if any interest to the Turkish public.
Undoubtedly the deep political crisis of the EU, going beyond the eurozone crisis, accounts for much of the sagging interest in becoming a member of a not-so-attractive club. However, the disenchantment of the Turkish public with the EU preceded the severe economic crisis that shook the Union at its core. In Turkey’s view, the EU’s handling of Cyprus and the French determination to block the process at all costs, was widely seen as not giving the Turkish candidacy a fair shake. As the Turkish economy performed beyond expectations and the country prospered while new markets were being explored, the importance of the EU in Turkey’s economic growth seemed to recede.
On political matters, Turkey moved on some of its most pressing issues, such as the Kurdish problem, mainly independently of the accession process. In the meantime, with the EU’s complacence, Turkish democracy began to suffer setbacks although the process of demilitarization/civilianization went forcefully ahead. Furthermore, the developments in the Middle East that culminated in the profound transformative turbulence of the Arab Spring greatly elevated Turkey’s profile as a consequential actor in the developments in the region. As geopolitical considerations moved to the fore and Turkey had to rejuvenate its alliance relations following the failure of its high profile engagement with Iran, Turkish-American relations became closer.
Most everything that happens in the European Union affects Turkey. The current cooling of relations does not change this essential fact. It is also true that the lure of the European Union today is much weaker given its economic predicament. Turkey by itself created more private sector jobs in the past five years than all the EU states put together. The Turkish public undoubtedly has a strong feeling of Schadenfreude but still it is remarkable that support for EU membership does not fall below 40 per cent. Particularly in light of the fact that the EU reneged on promises given to the Turkish part of Cyprus, and that some EU members have been crass and behaved improperly towards Turkey.
The EU’s crisis arguably stemmed from the paradox of “economic integration/political fragmentation”. If and when it manages to finally overcome the crisis, the nature of the Union and its structure will be different and possibly will reflect a more flexible arrangement. Despite enviable economic performances and a rising geopolitical profile, the benefits that Turkey would draw from continuing integration with the EU are not exhausted. In particular, the developments of the past five years have shown that the aspirational force of EU membership, as well as the disciplining framework of the Copenhagen criteria (Hungary’s current politics notwithstanding) is essential for the deepening and further institutionalization of Turkish democracy.
Similarly, if the current crisis leads to a more flexible arrangement in the Union’s structure, absorbing a country the size of Turkey might be easier, giving an opportunity for EU members to re-evaluate the Turkish file. The economic, political, and strategic benefits of further integration are there for all to see. In addition, EU-Turkey relations could easily move forward if they too reflected a more flexible arrangement, even if the member states’ politics do not inspire much confidence for such farsighted and imaginative openings on the part of the Union. Ultimately, the record of European history still allows one to hope for a breakthrough.
This article is based on the German Marshall Fund paper Turkey and the European Sclerosis and was first published by EUROPP@LSE
via Why Turkey would still benefit from EU Accession — Social Europe Journal.
Musicians from Turkey and Greece are employing their craft to heal wounds lingering from political disputes between the two nations.
Eleni Karaindrou, a renowned Greek musician, performed with Turkish composer Ender Sakpinar and his orchestra at an Istanbul jazz festival earlier this month. With cheering in Turkish and Greek thundering from the audience, the transformative power of the moment was reflected in Karaindrou’s eyes at the end of the show.
“Music is a universal language that speaks to peoples’ hearts,” Karaindrou told SETimes.
Sakpinar and Karaindrou have partnered in a concert series known as “Songs for Hope and Peace,” which aims to use the countries’ common musical heritage to promote tolerance despite their governments’ political disagreements.
Sakpinar is convinced ministerial squabbles are no match for the force of music.
“When the audience hums the melody and keeps the tempo in harmony with each other, political conflicts disappear and we open a platform for mutual understanding,” he told SETimes.
But the concert series hasn’t been all singing and merriment. Sakpinar, who has co-ordinated the project for a decade, said his musicians had to learn to trust each other before they could bring a message of tolerance to a broader audience.
“When we started our project, there was serious suspicion about our real motives, especially from the Greek side,” he said. “Even some Greek musicians playing in our orchestras had difficulty explaining the project to people close to them.”
One way the maestro united his group was by drawing from both Greek and Turkish artists when developing their repertoire of songs. This allowed the concerts to realise their goals even in challenging environments, he said.
“Recall how much political tension there was in the summer of 2006, when we came to Rhodes to give a joint concert,” Sakpinar said. “There were dogfights over the Aegean sea and crises over the Kardak islets. Despite this, 2,000 people attended the concert.”
Added Sakpinar: “When people came to our concerts and saw us, they started to re-discover Turkish-Greek relations from scratch.”
Karaindrou told SETimes she’s been warmly welcomed by Turkish music fans despite her nationality.
“It’s not that all of Turkey knows me, but those music lovers that feel close to me truly show their love for me,” she said, adding that it has been a tremendous experience every time she’s co-operated with Turkish musicians.
Meanwhile, concert organisers work to ensure their success branches up from the grassroots to the highest reaches of government.
Politicians, mayors and governors are invited to the performances. If they attend, they’re required to make a speech before the show to share thoughts about the initiative and their view of the country across the sea.
“Thanks to the concerts, we’ve had an opportunity to discuss our problems and brainstorm about how to improve the situation,” Sakpinar said. “But initiatives like these need more support from businessmen and public officials on both sides.”
There are signs that a growing number of artists on both sides of the Aegean are embracing the project’s formula of peace through music.
Greek musician Eleni Karaindrou and Turkish composer Ender Sakpinar are collaborating in programs that use the countries’ common musical heritage to promote tolerance despite their governments’ political disagreements. [Facebook]Mehtap Demir, a Turkish singer whose ensemble My Sweet Canary includes Greek, Israeli, and Turkish musicians, was set to transmit the message at the Womex World Music Expo held in Thessaloniki on October 21st.
“The power of music comes from the fusion of local, cultural and religious spheres,” Demir told SETimes. “Musicians need to share this with the people and emphasise this theme.”
Demir’s ensemble was founded to memorialize Roza Eskenazi, known as the queen of early 20th century rembetiko (Greek blues). Eskenazi was born in a Sepharadic family in Istanbul, but early in her childhood her family moved to Thessaloniki, then still part of the Ottoman Empire.
The singer laments the fact that Turkish and Greek people are eager to claim “ownership” of aspects of culture, such as coffee or local dances.
“Musical projects like My Sweet Canary show that these represent the common culture of this region,” she said.
Demir told a story about a Greek politician who approached her at one of her concerts.
“He said, “I’m 58 years old. My grandmother used to sing me the song ‘Rambi,’ which you performed. It reminded me of my childhood.”
SETimes correspondent HK Tzanis in Athens contributed to this report.
via Turks and Greeks come together over music (SETimes.com).
Andrew McCarthy has a piece on possible Turkish membership of the EU up on the homepage, very well worth reading in many respects, but not least for this observation:
In Turkey, the administrators of the Kemalist governmental model — comprising Muslims who understood Islam intimately — suppressed Islam not to deny freedom of conscience but to enable it. They were trying to forge exactly the sort of secular civil society Europeans revere. They knew it could not coexist with sharia. Thus, the government assumed supervision of the country’s 80,000 mosques, vetted the imams, controlled the content of sermons and literature, and aggressively monitored the Islamic charities. The Muslims running the state realized that Islam would inevitably work against secular civil society if left to its own devices.
If you want to understand why Mubarak’s approach in Egypt (political repression combined with the cession of large amounts of religio-social space to the imams) was, in the end, doomed to failure, that’s not a bad place to start.
Andy explains how the incentive of eventual EU membership (forever being proffered, just out of reach, to the Turks) is being used to distort the (admittedly very far from perfect) Kemalist model in ways that could have very dangerous consequences.
But at least we can for be sure (at least for now) that the French and German political elites are enough in tune with their electorates (for now) to stop, as they should, Turkish accession.
With others the case is not so clear.
Here’s what Britain’s David Cameron had to say two years ago:
ANKARA – Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday he was angered by the slow pace of Turkey’s European Union accession talks and warned against shutting Ankara out because of anti-Muslim prejudice.
Cameron’s strong support for Turkey’s limping EU bid puts him in stark contrast to fellow EU heavyweights France and Germany who argue against letting the mainly-Muslim country of over 70 million people to become a full member.
Here’s part of what I wrote back at the time:
That Cameron blames the Franco-German stance on “anti-Muslim prejudice” is an argument of the intellectually desperate. Then again, what else does Cameron have? As so often, he has failed to grasp just how deep the EU’s federalizing project has already gone. Even if we ignore the phenomenal cost (of which cash-strapped British taxpayers would pay a disproportionate share) of such a scheme, admitting Turkey to the EU would give a country now led by genuinely popular Islamist thug a real say in the everyday lives of the British people. And then there are all those other things that would go with Turkish membership in the EU, such as, oh, the ability of a Turkish court to order the arrest and extradition of a British citizen from the UK to a Turkish jail with little or no judicial review. So much for Cameron, protector of civil liberties.
Oh, there’s also this (reported by the BBC in 2009):
Mr Obama also said Washington supported Turkey’s efforts to join the EU.
Smart diplomacy!
via Turkey and the EU – By Andrew Stuttaford – The Corner – National Review Online.
