Tag: Westerwelle

  • European Union Critical of Human Rights in Turkey

    European Union Critical of Human Rights in Turkey

    Dorian Jones | Istanbul

    Photo: AP  Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (file photo)
    Photo: AP Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (file photo)

    The European Union’s annual progress report on Turkey’s bid to join its ranks, criticized Ankara over freedom of expression and treatment of its minorities. But Ankara has rejected the criticism and is voicing increasing frustration over what its sees as more prejudice on the part of Brussels. Rising tensions could come to a head over the island of Cyprus.

    The Turkish government has dismissed out of hand criticisms made by the European Union’s annual progress report. The report criticized Turkey over its treatment of its minorities and media freedom. It highlighted the imprisonment of journalists.

    According to human rights groups more than 50 journalists are currently jailed. However, Ergemen Bagis, Turkish minister for EU membership, says Brussels is out of touch.

    “If you consider the report to be a photo of Turkey, what I can say is the model of the camera that took the picture of Turkey is an old model,” said Bagis. “I think its time for Europe to change the lens, and to focus better.”

    The tough reaction is the latest sign of an increasing belligerence by Ankara towards Brussels, according to Semih Idiz, diplomatic correspondent for the Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet.

    “Ever since France and Germany coming out against Turkish membership, I think we are at the logical conclusion of how things started three years ago,” said Idiz. “Nobody in Turkey is putting much investment into the idea that Turkey is going to be an EU member anytime soon. And at the moment Europe itself does not provide very inspiring image.”

    The opposition of France and Germany have resulted in Turkey’s membership bid coming to a virtual standstill. The EU commissioner responsible for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, acknowledged Turkish frustrations but also raised concerns over a simmering crisis with Turkey.

    “Turkey continues to be a key country for the European Union but accession negotiations have not moved on for more than one year,” said Fule. “There is a frustration on both sides. And I believe its the time to rebuild the momentum in the process and work for a renewed positive agenda in EU – Turkey relations. At the same time the commission remains worried about the tension between Turkey and Cyprus.”

    The report criticized Ankara for its increasingly hardline towards EU member Cyprus. Last month Turkish warships were sent to the island in an ongoing dispute over Nicosia’s exploration for gas in its territorial waters. Ankara claims such exploration should be done in cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot administration which only Turkey recognizes. At a press conference Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made clear Turkish displeasure over the criticism.

    He said we see that there is a one sided perspective in EU when it comes to Turkey’s international work, primarily on the Cyprus issue and he said we feel seriously disturbed by this. He also said Turkey wants the EU and to give a strong message to the Greek Cypriot side and said it was of the utmost importance to Turkey.

    But the EU report was not all bad news , it praised the government for judicial reforms and removing the army from politics. Ankara also drew plaudits as playing a positive role in “Arab Spring” countries. The German foreign minister Gudio Westerwelle, during a visit to Istanbul Thursday, stressed the important future role Turkey can play with the EU in the region.

    He said there is no doubt that Turkey has a role as a bridge-builder and he said we want to take advantage of that together. And he said that’s why we [Germany] are glad that relations between our countries are so good. He said that Turkey can have a positive influence on the uprisings in the Arab world, where it can and wants to play such a key role.

    Ankara increasingly sees itself as a regional power with global aspirations. But such largesse could prove a double edge sword to Europe. Former Turkish diplomat Sinan Ulgen warns that with Ankara’s aspirations for far more than EU membership, it is ready for a show down with Brussels over Cyprus.

    “This transformation from almost a compliant member of the western community, making Turkey a full EU member, to a assertive ambitious regional power is what we are seeing today,” said Ulgen.

    Observers warn Brussels could feel the full force of Turkey’s new assertiveness, with the simmering crisis over Cyprus expected to come to a head in the coming months.

    via European Union Critical of Human Rights in Turkey | Europe | English.

  • German FM denies backing PKK against Turkey

    German FM denies backing PKK against Turkey

    German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Thursday that “it was out of question for us to support terrorists”.

    davut german fm22

    Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul, Westerwelle said, “we have no tolerance to terror. We will continue to be against terror as a state based on the rule of law. PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization not only in Europe but Germany as well.

    Asked about what he thought on recent remarks made by Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan that certain German foundations extended resources to PKK through opposition parties in Turkey, Minister Westerwelle said that “all the misunderstandings on the issue have been clarified”.

    “German foundations receive appreciation in Turkey. As the German government, we pay high attention to counter-terrorism. It is out of question for us to support terrorists. You may not know that a German high court defined PKK as a terrorist organization a year ago. PKK is accepted as a terrorist organization in Europe and there is no tolerance to them,” Westerwelle said.

    “Erdogan to visit Germany in Nov”

    Davutoglu also said that Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan would travel to Germany at the beginning of November to mark celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the migration of Turkish workers to Germany and that, during the same days, Westerwelle would be in Istanbul to attend a regional conference on Afghanistan.

    Davutoglu said that Westerwelle and he also discussed the developments in the Middle East.

    The Arab Spring in the Middle East has an important place in the future perspective of Turkey, EU and Germany. We discussed the developments in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria, Davutoglu said.

    We had a chance to discuss counter-terrorism. One of the two foreign legs of the terrorist organization PKK is in north of Iraq where they have training camps and the other is in EU countries where they recruit terrorists and collect financial support. We are in close cooperation with Germany regarding the terrorist organization, Davutoglu also said.

    Agencies

    via German FM denies backing PKK against Turkey | Diplomacy | World Bulletin.

  • Ahmet Davutoğlu to host Germany’s Westerwelle tomorrow

    Ahmet Davutoğlu to host Germany’s Westerwelle tomorrow

    German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will pay a one-day working visit to İstanbul on Thursday, Turkish officials said on Tuesday.

    Both German and Turkish officials avoided commenting on the content of Westerwelle’s meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu. Yet, in addition to regional developments in the Middle East and North Africa, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s claims concerning German foundations operating in Turkey are likely to be high on the agenda of the meeting.

    In early October, Erdoğan said he was disturbed by the fact that some German foundations are aiding the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which he said is one of the reasons for the probe into the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), the political arm of the PKK. German foundations that have branches in Turkey and Germany’s sustainable development agency, GIZ, denied Erdoğan’s claims.

    Meanwhile, Westerwelle’s visit to İstanbul will coincide with the opening of an artists’ academy in the summer residence of the German ambassador in the İstanbul suburb of Tarabya on Thursday. Cornelia Pieper, minister of state in the German Foreign Ministry and responsible for cultural policy, will take part in the ceremony. Next year the house will host the first scholarship holders. Each year up to 14 German artists will get stipends for six months so that they get to learn about the arts scene in Turkey. The German federal parliament decided to establish the academy in 2009 but controversies about the concept have delayed the project.

    It was not yet clear whether Westerwelle will be able to attend the inauguration ceremony when Today’s Zaman contacted German Embassy officials on Thursday.

    via Ahmet Davutoğlu to host Germany’s Westerwelle tomorrow.

  • Turkey’s growing regional power boosts EU membership hopes

    Turkey’s growing regional power boosts EU membership hopes

    ISTANBUL // As a rising regional power in a tumultuous Middle East, Turkey has laboured for months to mediate between governments and opposition groups in a region shaken by a wave of popular revolts.

    Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu (right) and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, looking at the city before their meeting in Istanbul.  EPA / CENGIZ OGUZ GUMRUKCU / TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERY
    Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu (right) and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, looking at the city before their meeting in Istanbul. EPA / CENGIZ OGUZ GUMRUKCU / TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERY

    Now a potential fringe benefit of Ankara’s high-profile role is starting to appear on the horizon: Turkey’s standing with the European Union could receive a boost.

    Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s foreign minister, has become the first top EU official to tell his European colleagues publicly that they should change the way they deal with Turkey, which has grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in its bid to join the bloc.

    “Turkey has been a stable bridge into the Muslim world, and we in Europe would be foolish if we were not to make more use of this bridge,” Mr Westerwelle said late on Friday after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul. “Turkey plays a key role for the change in Egypt to succeed, for a political solution in Libya and for the right influence on the Syrian leadership,” he said.

    “We have a massive interest for Turkey to continue to look towards Europe,” Mr Westerwelle added. The EU should treat Turkey “fairly and respectfully”.

    The comments came at a time when Turkey’s bid to join the European Union has all but ground to a halt. Membership talks for the country, which started in 2005, have dragged on slowly, partly because of the unresolved conflict on Cyprus.

    They also have lagged because of resistance to Turkey’s bid from some EU countries, especially France. With the decision for EU membership requiring unanimity by all its members, continued opposition by Paris means that Ankara will not be able to join the EU even if it meets all the bloc’s prerequisites.

     

    Mr Westerwelle’s challenge to the current status quo was echoed by another top German official, who said Europe should stop looking down at Turkey and treating its potential membership as a concession by the EU. Turkey has become a “new centre of power” in the region, the official said on condition of anonymity.

    For his part, Mr Westerwelle said he would try to get Turkey’s membership talks moving again later this year. He also pointed to Turkey’s growing economic clout. The country posted a growth rate of nearly 9 per cent last year and 11 per cent in the first quarter of this year, far outstripping any EU nation.

    But it is Ankara’s diplomatic assertiveness in a time of regional upheaval that has called into question the scepticism in some European capitals.

    Turkey’s contacts and access in the region exceed those of most European governments and while Ankara was initially surprised by the outbreak of popular revolts around the Arab world, it has deftly exploited this advantage in attempts to negotiate with both governments and opposition groups to stop bloodshed and navigate peaceful paths for a transition of power.

    German officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey was in a better position than other countries to get through to embattled regimes in Syria and other places. “If someone is able to get through to the Syrians, it’s the Turks,” one official said.

     

    Mr Davutoglu’s travels in the past few days alone underscore the busyness of Turkish diplomacy.

    After his meeting with Mr Westerwelle in Istanbul, he flew to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials and representatives of the Arab League. On Sunday, he visited the Libyan city of Benghazi for talks with Libyan opposition officials. He is planning a trip to Damascus in the coming days.

    In his press conference with Mr Westerwelle, Mr Davutoglu was keen to underline that Europe remained a “top priority” for Turkey despite the lack of movement in its membership application. The main aims of protesters of the Arab Spring represented European values, he said. “Demands for democracy, transparency and the rule of law are joint values of Germany and Turkey.”

    Another official said one reason for Mr Westerwelle’s visit to Istanbul was to get a clearer picture of Turkish actions around the region. Noting that the US administration was cooperating closely with the Turkish government on the issue of Syria and other countries hit by popular uprisings, the official said there had been “a feeling in Berlin that we should also coordinate with the Turks”.

    Mr Westerwelle’s position that Europe should be more open towards Turkey is a minority opinion in the EU and in the ruling coalition in Berlin, where Angela Merkel, the chancellor, favours a “privileged partnership” between Europe and Turkey instead of full membership by Ankara.

    Turkish politicians and diplomats have grown increasingly irritated with what they see as double standards by the EU and efforts by EU countries to make Ankara pull out of membership talks. In the latest sign of growing anger, Selim Kuneralp, Turkey’s ambassador to the EU, told euobserver.com, a website specialising on EU affairs, that “people in Ankara are fed up”.

    The ambassador added that Turkey did not feel obliged to heed EU suggestions concerning the planned new constitution for the country, a key undertaking in Ankara in the coming months.

    In other circumstances, a country planning to join the EU could be expected to listen to what Brussels has to say about constitutional norms.

    “But in the absence of any clear perspective of accession, there’s no reason why Turkey should align its legislation toward narrow EU standards,” Mr Kuneralp said. “To put it simply, the EU has lost its leverage on Turkey.”

    That development is raising concerns that Turkey may be turning away from Europe altogether one day.

    “At some point, the connection will break,” said a German official travelling with Mr Westerwelle.

     

    tseibert@thenational.ae

  • Westerwelle calls for closer Turkey ties to EU

    Westerwelle calls for closer Turkey ties to EU

    German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is calling for deeper integration with Turkey, arguing that the country deserves greater support as it makes a bid to join the European Union.

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    Westerwelle told the daily Die Welt that Turkey is becoming a regional powerhouse and the fact that it’s EU aspirations appear to be at a standstill is shameful to all sides involved.

    It’s location, diversity and European outlook can make it a “bridge to the Islamic world,” he said. “We want to overcome this impasse,” Westerwelle added.

    Berlin’s foreign minister has just returned from a trip to Turkey, where he held extensive talks with his counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu. In the coming days Davutoğlu will undertake travels in the Arab world, where Germany has deep interests.

    Turkey’s long-running EU accession bid has run into strong opposition among many Europeans who see it as not being economically or politically ready.

    Some have argued that those fears are a mask for deep discomfort with Islam in Turkey, although the state there is secular.

    Westerwelle is aware that increasing closeness with Turkey is likely to be controversial in some quarters – including within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition.

    Whereas Westerwelle’s Free Democrats are more open to Turkey joining the EU, Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats want to offer Ankara a “privileged partnership” below full membership.

    But Westerwelle said a closer ties with the country would be in Europe’s interest.

    He is being joined by prominent business leaders like Dieter Zetsche, who was born in Turkey and is the chairman of German car company Daimler.

    He told the Bild newspaper that Germany and all of Europe needs Turkey.

    “Instead of building more and new obstacles until one day Turkey turns away, we need to open the door very widely,” Zetsche said.

    The Local/mdm

    via Westerwelle calls for closer Turkey ties to EU – The Local.

  • Davutoğlu, Westerwelle speak of rescuing Turkey’s EU bid

    Davutoğlu, Westerwelle speak of rescuing Turkey’s EU bid

    Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, stressed in İstanbul the need to rescue Turkey’s European Union membership talks that are currently at standstill, reiterating “strong bilateral ties” both countries enjoy.

    Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle had talks in İstanbul on Friday.
    Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle had talks in İstanbul on Friday.

    Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle had talks in İstanbul on Friday.

    “We have discussed Turkish-EU relations,” Davutoğlu told a news conference after his bilateral talks with Westerwelle on Friday, who is a foreign minister visiting Turkey after July 12 vote that brought Davutoğlu’s party to power for the third time in a landslide victory.

    Turkish foreign minister said he shared with his German counterpart that one of most important agenda item in Turkish foreign policy after June 12 vote is the candidate country’s ties with the EU.

    No single chapter was opened in the past 12 months which further made Turkey lose its already declining apetite for a membership in the 27-nation bloc.

    Wary of stalled process, Davutoğlu pointed to a necessity for a “new strategic viewpoint” in Turkish-EU relations, immediately stressed that Turkey already has one: Turkey sees its future in Europe and it has a will to make it whole with the EU in the shortest time period.

    Davutoğlu said Turkey rejects agenda items that are not related to the negotiation talks and calls for opening negotiation chapters. “Turkey wants strategic decision that was made by the two sides in 2004 to be realized,” Davutoğlu underlined.

    Turkey opened accession talks with the EU in 2005 but has been able to begin talks on only 13 chapters, out of 35, so far. The EU Commission has suspended talks on eight chapters due to Turkey’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from EU member Greek Cyprus. In addition, France, a vocal opponent of Turkish membership, also blocks talks on five chapters that it says are directly related to accession.

    In a sign of even further deterioration, Turkey and the EU have been unable to open talks on any chapter for the past 12 months. Talks were planned to begin on the competition chapter last year, but were postponed due to what the EU says insufficient preparations on the part of Turkey. With the government unwilling to take painful measures required to meet EU criteria to open talks on the competition chapter, it is not clear whether talks on that area could begin soon.

    Davutoğlu said Turkey has fulfilled its responsibility regarding Cyprus problem and other areas, noting that Turkey has faced with double standards.

    Davutoğlu thanked Westerwelle for his “clear position” on Turkey’s EU membership and said Turkey attaches importance to Germany’s position in upcoming period as it will be determining the future of Turkish-EU relations.

    Westerwelle also said he supports speeding up Turkey’s EU membership talks based on certain criteria, stressing that the sides need to treat with each other with fairness and respect.

    Speaking about Turkey’s importance in the region and bilateral ties, German foreign minister said Turkey is a strategically key country in solving global and particularly regional problems and that Turkey is a good partner and friend for Germany.

    “Turkey’s regional vicinity is experiencing a historic transformation and Turkey is playing a key role in this. This is a necessary reason to discuss Turkey’s full membership in Europe in a fair and respectful way,” Westerwelle said, adding that it is not a positive development that no any chapter opened in the past year.

    via Davutoğlu, Westerwelle speak of rescuing Turkey’s EU bid.