Brussels, 14/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - A few days after the publication of the European Commission's progress report for Turkey (EUROPE 9537), we met the Turkish Ambassador to the EU, Volkan Bozkir, for an interview.
EUROPE. What is your reaction to the Commission's report?
Volkan Bozkir: This year's report is fair, just and balanced. Even though there are some parts we do not agree with, it is a good paper. The most import sentence in the report is that Turkey continues to sufficiently fulfil the political criteria. This is the critical sentence, without this you can't continue. A second element that is crucial is the statement that Turkey has a functioning market economy. In the field of human rights, the report clearly indicates that Turkey now has a comprehensive set of safeguards against torture and ill-treatment. The zero-tolerance policy of the Turkish government has shown good results. Turkey's performance as regards the respect of freedom of association, assembly and demonstration is also positive. There are also encouraging words on gender equality. Finally, what also counts for us in the report is the EU judgement on our capacity to implement EU acquis. On all these main points, the EU's findings are fine.
EUROPE: The report is very critical of Article 301 of the penal code and the way in which it restricts the freedom of expression in Turkey. The Commission even proposes to link the opening of the accession negotiations “justice and fundamental freedoms” chapter with the amendment of this article.
V. Bozkir: The Commission requests from us to amend article 301. This article can be changed and will be changed as soon as possible. The new president (Abdullah Gül), who was previously the foreign minister, and the new foreign minister (Ali Babacan), who was and is still the chief negotiator, are very much in favour. The minister of justice and several other ministers have also announced that this article will be changed. However, this issue should not become an obstacle to the accession negotiations.
EUROPE: The Commission report also criticises Turkey for not having made any progress in the normalisation of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus.
V. Bozkir: We have never said that we would normalise our relations as long as there is no solution to the Cyprus problem. The EU has made a great mistake by accepting the Greek Cypriot Administration (Ed: the Republic of Cyprus) to the EU in the absence of a comprehensive solution. This has further complicated the solution and even worse, encouraged the intransigency of the Greek Cypriot side. We believe that with a just and lasting solution under the auspices of the UNSG, all issues, including normalisation will automatically disappear from our agenda. Thus what we need is to intensify our efforts to make the comprehensive solution possible before the end of 2008. Turkey supports this vision.
EUROPE: What role could the EU play in finding a solution?
V.Bozkir: The EU cannot be the platform for solving the Cyprus issue. Why? It would be like a soccer game in which the referee is wearing the shirt of one of the two teams. In addition to that, the referee, whistling a penalty, needs the unanimous consensus of all players of one team, its team. This cannot work! The Cyprus issue has to be solved under the good-offices mission of the UNSG (secretary general). In order for this to happen, the international community and the EU should put more pressure on the Greek Cypriot side to work for a solution.)
EUROPE: What kind of pressure?
V.Bozkir: In diplomacy, there are various ways to do so. If the EU vigorously persuades the Greek Cypriot side that a non-solution is not in the interest of the EU and that the status quo is neither an option nor can be maintained forever, then we can see a light at the end of the tunnel for the early resumption of full-fledged negotiations. Neither Turkey nor Turkish Cypriots can solve the problem if there is no sufficient political will on the part of the Greek Cypriot leadership.
EUROPE: Since the suspension of the eight chapters in December 2006, accession negotiations have not progressed very much.
V. Bozkir: The EU's decision to suspend eight chapters in the accession talks was the lowest point in Turkish-EU relations in the last decade. After that trauma, we made an analysis and came to the conclusion that Europe has a problem. Namely, new member states had joined, the mood in the population (towards Turkey and enlargement in general) had changed and the EU was unable to finalise its constitutional process. There was the risk of a blame-game starting with Turkey being made responsible for all of that. Meanwhile, in Turkey it was election year. There was the possibility that the EU could become a negative target during the campaign. Therefore, we said: let us leave Europe for a while, take some distance, give it some breathing space, so that Europe can handle its own problems. Meanwhile, Turkey could go through the election year without having binding statements made by political leaders during the campaign. Thanks to this strategy, this year passed without any harm being inflicted on any side.
At the same time, we decided to go on with our work. We decided to open all the chapters and put out a working program which foresees that until the end of 2013, we will finalise our EU accession preparations as if the chapters were all opened. Our ministries and administrations work in order to eliminate the gap which exists between Turkish legislation and the EU acquis mentioned in the screening reports. All the benchmarks that have been fixed will also be taken up within this process. We can do it by the end of 2013 and it will be done. Our aim is EU membership, of course. However, our main aim is to be a fully democratic, secular state that adheres to the rule of law and enjoys a welfare level that is close to EU standards.
EUROPE: Do you mean to say that the way ahead, namely, the reforms, are more important than the final objective, EU accession?
V. Bozkir: I'm not saying that the journey is more important than the target, because the destination - full EU membership - is important. Without knowing the destination, people lose the momentum and the orientation. We never mentioned an alternative to the EU. At the end of 2013, having finalized the reform process, the EU will see another Turkey, a different Turkey. I think that when we will reach the end of 2013, Turkey will be indispensable for the EU.
EUROPE: The punishment of December 2006 has therefore not had an impact on your accession process?
V. Bozkir: I'm not saying that the suspensions has no impact on the process. What I'm saying is the following: Europe made a mistake. By suspending the 8 chapters in December 2006, the EU was trying to punish Turkey, to force Turkey to conform to its wishes. But Turkey did not change its firm stance. The EU has thus given up its ammunition and all the leverage on Turkey. Now, what sanctions are left? Only to suspend or to stop the whole negotiations. That was the mistake. The EU has lost all kind leverage on Turkey.
EUROPE: In the meantime, negotiations on these chapters remains blocked.
V. Bozkir: Yes, the process is blocked, but who is gaining from that? Among the eight chapters suspended, there are some which are very much beneficial also to the EU. Customs Union for instance. We have a trade volume of 80 billion euros in our customs union. The chapter is blocked, although there might be some need to change something in that field. The EU has tied its own hands.
EUROPE: The EU is demanding that Turkey applies the additional protocol on extension of the Customs Union to Cyprus. When are you going to open your ports and airports to the Cypriots?
V. Bozkir: We have to look at all the EU decisions related to the Cyprus issue, including the decision on establishing direct trade between the EU and the Turkish Cypriots (a decision still blocked by Greek Cypriot side in the Council of Ministers). That is also an EU decision, it's also part of the EU acquis, and it needs to be respected.
EUROPE: It is the EU and not the candidate countries that dictate the conditions for pursuing negotiations.
V. Bozkir: It's not like that. You can say this for other candidate countries, but not for Turkey. Why? Because Turkish membership would provide to the EU much more than any other acceding country could provide. It's a different story. However, I'm not saying that Turkey should be treated differently. What kept the EU/Turkish relationship alive was common interest. There are important interests for the European Union to keep Turkey on board. For Turkey as well, there are enormous interests to continue the process and to become member of the EU. This might change in the future but it has not changed in the 40 years of that relation.
EUROPE: The European Council in December is expected to decide the setting up of a “group of wise men” to reflect upon the future of Europe, following an idea by Nicolas Sarkozy. Are you not afraid that this group could be used by certain quarters to oppose future Turkish accession?
V. Bozkir: Why should we expect unwise decisions from wise men? We are not afraid of anything, because we have great confidence that both sides' interests to maintain the relation and to pursue the accession process will prevail.
EUROPE: Are you concerned by the firm opposition of Mr Sarkozy to Turkish accession and the reticence of other EU leaders?
V. Bozkir: Persons are temporary. We have democracies, politicians change. Governments of today will not necessarily be there tomorrow. Even in France, they are now talking about changing the constitution (which foresees a referendum on every EU enlargement after Croatia's accession). Let us leave some ambiguity. Let's avoid inflexible and binding statements for the future. (H.B.)