Brussels, 06/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - During a debate on Thursday 4 June, MEPs from the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee spoke of their concern about the demonstrations in Turkey, and more generally about human rights in the country. Most of the MEPs underlined that these events must not have a detrimental effect on Turkey's EU accession process - quite the opposite.
The MEPs once again criticised the police violence against the protesters, the attitude of Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the silence of the Turkish media on the events. “Turkey is getting further away from democracy and the EU”, warned Eleni Theocharous (EPP).
As Turkey's President Abdullah Gül has stated, “democracy is not only at the ballot box. Opposition movements must be able to express themselves”, said Elmar Brok (EPP). The European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Ria Oomen Ruitjen (EPP), said she hoped the “recent events might be a turning point”. She stressed that “the majority must take its responsibility and take account of the position of the minority”. “The word 'compromise' does not seem to be known in Turkish politics - a change of attitude of the Turkish government and the prime minister is indispensable. A vibrant, pluralist and inclusive democracy needs a constructive opposition. That too is a challenge to be met”, she added.
Andrew Duff (ALDE) described the events as a democratic awakening, saying that “the political class does not reflect the aspirations of civil society”. In the view of Maria Eleni Koppa (S&D), “Mr Erdogan has clearly shown disrespect for the freedom of expression. He must offer a personal apology for the violence. An exercise in humility will show his true power.”
Most MEPs said that these events must not have a backwards effect on Turkey's EU accession process - quite the opposite. “Some say that accession with Turkey must be stopped, but this is the time (…) to make reforms”, said Marietje Schaake (ALDE). Richard Howitt (S&D) echoed this - accession “is the best way to put an end to the violence in the country once and for all”. Regretting that chapters 23 and 24 - blocked by the Republic of Cyprus - have not yet been openned, Maria Muniz de Urquiza (S&D) called on the EU to “enter into the chapters that pose a problem”. Charles Tannock (ECR) called on the EU to remain critical towards the government which is behaving undemocratically, and he said that undemocratic behaviour must be reflected in the annual progress report and the accession process.
The MEPs criticised the time it took for Catherine Ashton to react, regretting that her press release - which had elsewhere been judged as “weak” - only arrived two days after the beginning of the problem of violence (see EUROPE 10858). Ashton will be able to give an explanation for this at a plenary debate on Turkey on 12 June. The representative from the European External Action Service (EEAS), Giles Portman, who did not want to respond to the MEPs' comments, underlined that the EEAS is following the situation closely and that Ashton's statement on the events is still valid. Portman said the EEAS will closely observe what the government and Erdogan say, on his return to Turkey on 6 June. The EEAS will host a delegation from Turkey on 7 June, which will hand in a petition, Portman stated, saying that the EEAS is in contact with the European Commission, its delegation in Ankara and other delegations. Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle will be in Turkey on 6-7 June, where he is meeting members of the government, representatives from civil society and protesters. Several dozen people demonstrated in front of the European Parliament on 6 June to show their support for the Turkish people. (CG/transl.fl)