Tag: Bagis

  • Bagis says Turkey ready for EU membership in 2014

    Bagis says Turkey ready for EU membership in 2014

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Turkey will continue preparations for EU accession and will be ready to become a member in 2014, Ankara’s chief negotiator for talks with the EU Egemen Bagis said on Tuesday (December 7th). He told journalists accompanying him on a three-day visit to Copenhagen that the country will maintain a patient approach to the accession negotiations while still criticising the EU for applying double standards in Turkey’s case. Specifically, he argued that the country has received prejudicial treatment by some EU member countries, and he expressed dissatisfaction with the blocking of some chapter negotiations due to the Cyprus problem. In Copenhagen, Bagis will be meeting with senior officials and attend several cultural events in a bid to revitalise Turkish-Danish relations. (Zaman – 08/12/10; Hurriyet – 07/12/10)

    via Bagis says Turkey ready for EU membership in 2014 (SETimes.com).

  • Bagis Meets Danish FM, Says No Shift in Turkey’s Axis

    Bagis Meets Danish FM, Says No Shift in Turkey’s Axis

    Turkey’s State Minister for EU affairs and Chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis met with Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen as part of his talks in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

    espersen bagis

    Following his meeting with Espersen, Bagis spoke to reporters and ruled out any shift in Turkey’s axis.

    “Turkey will continue to be the most western country of the East and most eastern country of the West. Our allies are aware of this,” Bagis said.

    “Turkey has always been seen as a bridge between the East and the West. Nobody wants to cross a bridge with one pier decayed. All piers of the Turkey bridge, in the east, west, north and south, all of them are being reinforced concurrently,” he said.

    Asked about Turkey’s EU bid, Bagis said political stonewalling against opening of negotiation chapters was very annoying for Turkey.However, Bagis said, in this period Turkish government was working to raise standards of the country, not to open chapters.

    “We have done what we had to. But of course, Turkey will not throw up the sponge or be demoralized just because some countries blocked chapters. The important thing is priorities of the Turkish people,” Bagis said.

    Bagis also said that Danish government’s support to opening of chapters continued. He said Danish Foreign Minister Espersen would pay a visit to Turkey in February.

    AA

  • Turkey stresses accession benefits for EU

    Turkey stresses accession benefits for EU

    Turkish minister for EU affairs Egemen Bagis talks to MARY FITZGERALD , Foreign Affairs Correspondent

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    THE EUROPEAN Union needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the European Union, Ankara’s chief negotiator on EU accession has said during a visit to Dublin.

    Egemen Bagis, while rejecting suggestions that Turkey’s rhetoric on Europe had hardened in recent months, said there was growing frustration over the pace of the accession process.

    He compared Europe’s economic crisis with Turkey’s growth of 11 per cent this year, and said Turkey was “vital” in terms of European access to regional energy resources.

    “Europe does need Turkey more than Turkey needs Europe,” he told The Irish Times.

    “The cost of having Turkey out of the EU is much greater for Europeans than the cost of having it in.”

    Reminded of his recently reported remarks which suggested Ankara did not want EU membership badly enough to make a unilateral gesture on Cyprus, Mr Bagis replied: “We want the EU but we will not give up on Cyprus for the EU, and we will not give up on the EU for Cyprus. We have a just cause on both issues and we will negotiate on finding a feasible solution.”

    Mr Bagis accused some EU member states of using the Cyprus issue to “hide” other reasons for opposing Turkish accession, and argued that the same countries were guilty of double standards.

    “What Turkey expects is fair negotiations. We don’t want any special favours just because we are a large, economically feasible, dynamic and strategically situated nation with access to such a big market, but we don’t want any additional burdens either.”

    The latest report by EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle criticised Turkey for shortcomings in free speech and freedom of religion, and also raised concerns over minority rights.

    Mr Bagis countered that Turkey would continue with what he described as the “giant progress” made in recent years. “Just as today’s Turkey is much better than yesterday’s, tomorrow’s Turkey will be much better that today’s.” Mr Bagis acknowledged that in several EU states where governments support Turkish accession, including Ireland, public sentiment did not always match the official position.

    “The day Turkey completes her negotiations, [it] will be a very different country, and Irish public opinion, along with that in other EU states, will change,” he said. “I would be more worried about public opinion in Turkey.” But Mr Bagis rejected the suggestion that, with popular support for EU membership waning at home, Turkey’s focus appeared to have tilted eastward.

    “The fact that we are enhancing our relations with countries to our east does not mean that we are giving up on our national goal to become a member of the EU.

    “Turkey was, is, and will continue to be the most eastern part of the west, and the most western part of the east. For centuries we have been seen as a bridge between the two. For a bridge to be dependable, it needs four strong legs – what Turkey is doing is strengthening the eastern, western, southern and northern legs simultaneously. And that bridge is needed by Europe now more than ever.”

    via Turkey stresses accession benefits for EU – The Irish Times – Thu, Nov 18, 2010.

  • Turkey’s EU Minister Receives Religious Freedom Award

    Turkey’s EU Minister Receives Religious Freedom Award

    Turkey’s state minister for the European Union (EU) and chief negotiator received on Tuesday a religious freedom award in Brussels, Belgium.

    award bagis

    The American and European Orthodox Churches honored Egemen Bagis with the award of religious freedom for his contributions to initiatives in Turkey regarding religious minorities and efforts to build a bridge between different cultures and civilizations.

    The award ceremony took place at the European Parliament (EP) building on the sidelines of an International Religious Freedom Conference entitled “Religious Freedom: Turkey’s Bridge to the European Union.”

    “Turkey has found solutions to some problems of religious groups, but it also continues to deal with the rest of problems,” Bagis said during the ceremony.

    Bagis said the priority of the Turkish government was to ensure all its citizens to live in harmony and perform their worship freely.

    Although Islam literally meant peace, unfortunately perception of Islam was very different in today’s world, Bagis said.

    Bagis said Islamophobia was on the rise in Europe, and Turkey was concerned over the rising enmity against Muslims in Europe.

    Turkey was expecting some steps from Greece to re-open Heybeliada seminary, Bagis also said.

    The two-day conference brings together scholars, religious freedom and human rights advocates, journalists, diplomats, parliamentarians, religious leaders, Turkish representatives, lawyers and members of minority communities that will focus on religious freedom.

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  • Bagis Says Turkey, Greece Have Golden Opportunity

    Bagis Says Turkey, Greece Have Golden Opportunity

    bagis1Turkey’s state minister for the European Union (EU) and chief negotiator said on Monday that Turkey and Greece had a historic and golden opportunity to better their relations. Egemen Bagis said Turkey and Greece had prime ministers who were eager for settlement of bilateral problems.

    “We have learned to stand firm on our feet, and we want to undertake European Union’s (EU) burden to to be a burden on the union,” Bagis told reporters in Athens, Greece.

    Bagis said 70 percent of energy resources Europe needed was in Turkey, and it was still not opening energy chapter to negotiations, which he defined as against Europe’s interests.

    On Cyprus issue, Bagis said Turkey had showed its sincerity through initiatives it had exerted and supported so far, but the promises made to Turkey had not been kept and the world was still imposing embargoes on Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

    Bagis said Turkey was ready for a solution, and expected the EU to implement its decision to end isolation of TRNC.

    In such a case, Turkey would be ready to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes, Bagis said.

    Bagis said he would receive an award at the European Parliament on Tuesday for the initiaties Turkey had done regarding freedom of religion.

    Minister Bagis gave religious ceremonies at the Sumela Monastery in northern province of Trabzon and Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van, and return of orphanage at Istanbul’s Buyukada to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate as examples to Turkey’s initiatives.

    “We have showed our good will and determination for many times. Will a group from Turkey see the same sincerity and tolerance if they want to perform their prayer in Athens during a religious feast,” Bagis also said.

    Bagis met Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Greek alternate minister of foreign affairs; former Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyianni; former Greek deputy foreign minister Giannis Valinakis; and main opposition New Democracy Party deputy chairperson Dimitris Avramopoulos.

    Minister Bagis later attended a round-table meeting on “Creating Bridges: Investments as a tool of Greek Turkish Cooperation.”

    Bagis then left Athens for Brussels.

    AA

  • Turkish minister urges countries to work together to fight terrorism

    Turkish minister urges countries to work together to fight terrorism

    Turkish State Minister and chief negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said on Monday that all countries should work together to fight against terrorism.

    In his message regarding the terrorist attacks that took place on Nov. 15 and 20, 2003 in Istanbul, Bagis said “we have once again seen the merciless and loathsome face of terrorism with the bombs that exploded in November, 2003.”

    Bagis said terrorism was no more a regional matter but a global problem threatening the whole world.

    Turkey repeatedly says terrorism is a global problem that threatens the whole humanity, said Bagis, adding assessment of the financial and human sources of the terrorist organizations and prevention of the access of terrorist organizations to those resources are important conditions in countering terrorism.

    On Nov. 15, 2003, two separate explosions occurred in front of Neve Shalom Synagogue and Beth Israel Synagogue in Istanbul, killing 25 people and injuring 262 others.

    On Nov. 20, 2003, twin suicide attacks were staged on HSBC Bank headquarters and British Consulate General in Istanbul, killing 33 people including British Consul General in Istanbul Roger Short, and injuring 450 others.

    Source: Xinhua

    via Turkish minister urges countries to work together to fight terrorism – People’s Daily Online.