"Privileged partnership" with the EU doesn't suit Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The unwillingness of France and Germany to see 73 million Turks is quite natural. The truth is that according to Turkish sources, more than 25 national minorities live in the country; however they make around 10% of the population. The rest of the population is comprised of Turks practicing Islam. It is worth to be mentioned that around 80 thousand mosques function in the country. But there is one rather dangerous statistics; Turkey possesses the second most numerous and richest army of NATO. Annual bulk of selling of armament in the Turkish market is from three to five milliard dollars.

"Great Britain and Denmark are against the statement made by France and Germany. Moreover, most of the countries of Eastern Europe are also for having Turkey in the EU, because they are under the strong influence of the USA," said the Director of RA Institute of Oriental Studies Ruben Safrastyan. He believes that presently the USA tries to keep Turkey as its alley and this is why the USA lobbies Turkey's interests in the EU.

As for Ankara, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ali Babacan, Turkey will announce its readiness to integrate into the EU in 2013. "We cannot slow down the process only because one of the 27 EU member states isn't happy with something" said Babacan. The Minister also emphasized that Turkey's full membership in the EU is one of the most significant projects, writes newspaper Milliyet.

The experts believe that one of the main reasons of the position of France and Germany on this issue is that Turkey's integration into the EU will mean that the three non-formal leaders of the EU - France, Germany and Great Britain will have to squeeze together. Turkey with its large territory, population, economic and geopolitical magnitude will make the fourth leader of Europe. The position of the official Berlin and Paris regarding Turkey's integration into the EU "is a very unsuccessful statement", says the commentator of "Turkish Daily News". According to him the EU has certain interests in Turkey and this step is considered a very big injustice. He also thinks that Turkey will not take this kind of statements made by Germany and France. "These statements cause the loss of prestige for the very EU," said the Turkish journalist.

The truth is though that instead of full membership Turkey "privileged partnership" is offered to Turkey, which doesn't suit Turkey. But in its striving for integration into the EU, Ankara fails to notice several very fundamental conditions, which are subject to realization. Turkey is the only country which doesn't recognize the Republic of Cyprus, the full member of the EU. Instead Ankara established diplomatic relations with self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. Another and not less important reason is the denial of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, though in France and in a number of other EU countries the recognition of this fact is liable to criminal punishment. There is also the notorious 301 article limiting the freedom of speech, and attempts to give a "final solution" to the Kurdish issue by the help of invasion of North Iraq.

The leading party of Justice and Development tries to establish Islamic State in Turkey, for example to put ban on alcohol or to include a detailed study of Islam in the curricula in schools. And no matter how hard the Presidents of the country together with the Prime-Minister try to convince the world that Turkey is ready to become a full member of European Community, no one wants to see the Islamists in the European Parliament or other Institutions. Turkey staked out a claim on integration into the EU 45 years ago. in any case a couple of long years should definitely be taken into consideration.