Brussels, 08/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - Satisfactory progress has been made in establishing a new “positive agenda” with Turkey, the enlargement commissioner, Stefan Füle, stressed on Tuesday 7 February, after his meeting with the Turkish minister for European affairs and negotiator in chief, Egemen Bagis. “The emphasis has now been laid on cooperation to obtain tangible results in 2012 in the field of visas, mobility and migration, Turkey's increasing alignment with Community norms and practices, trade and the customs union”, Füle explained. This Thursday 9 February, he is in Turkey with his counterpart for energy, Gunther Oettinger.
Shortly earlier on Tuesday, Bagis and the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, called for flexibility in the visa regime. “The problem with visas is not just an individual problem for the citizens, but also an obstacle to the development of the economy and economic relations between the EU and Turkey”, Schulz stressed. According to a European official, 95% of visa applications by Turkish citizens are granted, rising to 97% for visa applications made by business people.
Bagis and Schulz also discussed the decision of the French parliament to make denial of the Armenian genocide by the Turks in 1915 a criminal offence. The president of the Parliament proposed an independent investigation. “We are prepared to support an investigation of this kind (…). We intend to do so and are in a position to do so”, explained Bagis, adding that “as politicians, we are responsible for shaping the future, not the past”. “If this leads to the conclusion that it was genocide, you must acknowledge this, but I believe that it is up to Turkey to resolve the problem”, said Schulz.
The president of the Parliament also reiterated his support for Turkish accession. “The member states must remain open to what they have promised”, Schulz explained. “The road will be long and difficult, but we must continue to work”, he added. (CG/transl.fl)