New dimension to EU-Turkey ties
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 25, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The Turkish Foreign Ministry approaches with caution the European Union's decision to include Turkey on its Eastern Partnership with ex-Soviet countries. Turkey must not think that the European Union is trying to push the country to its periphery, according to one expert
As European Union ministers agree on Turkey having some role in a project to boost ties with six former Soviet states, questions have naturally arisen on what exactly this partnership would entail for Turkey's quest for EU membership.
The EU’s Eastern Partnership scheme is aimed at boosting cooperation between the European Union and the six ex-Soviet eastern neighbors, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. It aims to discuss energy issues, among others, under its "neighborhood" program that allows funding for economic and political reforms.
"Everyone accepted that on a case by case basis, depending on the subject, we could offer Russia and Turkey the opportunity to join our discussions," AFP quoted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as saying after a meeting with his European Union counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
"Inviting Ankara occasionally (on discussions) would be ’natural’ given its proximity to the southern nations of the partnership, namely, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia," EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said.
Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review they were currently monitoring the situation, adding that Turkey would not wish to remain outside if such an offer was made.
"Turkey already nurtures special relationships with some of the countries involved in the Eastern Partnership," said one source, reiterating that full membership to the EU was a constant goal for Turkey. "Any offer should be considered within the context of the EU’s neighborhood policy," the source added.
Any talk about the inclusion of Turkey in such partnership programs within the context of the EU raises flags over whether this means replacing Turkey’s full membership objective with a privileged or extended partnership, as suggested frequently by European politicians opposed to Turkey’s accession.
"The Eastern Partnership should be evaluated within the neighborhood policy framework. We must not think that the EU is trying to push Turkey to the periphery," Associate Professor Mehmet Özcan from the International Strategic Research Institution, or USAK, told the Daily News.
Turkey is in a totally different position to Russia, Özcan said, because it is a candidate member that has started negotiations with the EU. "In this regard, it is difficult to put Turkey in the same position with Russia or Ukraine. But as far as the EU’s regional strategies are concerned, on the Mediterranean or the Black Sea, Russia and Turkey can be in the same place," he said. "On the energy issue, the EU may be willing to speak with Russia and Turkey in the same context, but I think it is the last thing to do for the EU to push Turkey aside. Even some EU countries’ position to grant a privileged partnership to Turkey can not be considered as a step to push Turkey away," he said.
The EU’s Eastern Partnership scheme is aimed at boosting cooperation between the European Union and the six ex-Soviet eastern neighbors, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. It aims to discuss energy issues, among others, under its "neighborhood" program that allows funding for economic and political reforms.
"Everyone accepted that on a case by case basis, depending on the subject, we could offer Russia and Turkey the opportunity to join our discussions," AFP quoted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as saying after a meeting with his European Union counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
"Inviting Ankara occasionally (on discussions) would be ’natural’ given its proximity to the southern nations of the partnership, namely, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia," EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said.
Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review they were currently monitoring the situation, adding that Turkey would not wish to remain outside if such an offer was made.
"Turkey already nurtures special relationships with some of the countries involved in the Eastern Partnership," said one source, reiterating that full membership to the EU was a constant goal for Turkey. "Any offer should be considered within the context of the EU’s neighborhood policy," the source added.
Any talk about the inclusion of Turkey in such partnership programs within the context of the EU raises flags over whether this means replacing Turkey’s full membership objective with a privileged or extended partnership, as suggested frequently by European politicians opposed to Turkey’s accession.
"The Eastern Partnership should be evaluated within the neighborhood policy framework. We must not think that the EU is trying to push Turkey to the periphery," Associate Professor Mehmet Özcan from the International Strategic Research Institution, or USAK, told the Daily News.
Turkey is in a totally different position to Russia, Özcan said, because it is a candidate member that has started negotiations with the EU. "In this regard, it is difficult to put Turkey in the same position with Russia or Ukraine. But as far as the EU’s regional strategies are concerned, on the Mediterranean or the Black Sea, Russia and Turkey can be in the same place," he said. "On the energy issue, the EU may be willing to speak with Russia and Turkey in the same context, but I think it is the last thing to do for the EU to push Turkey aside. Even some EU countries’ position to grant a privileged partnership to Turkey can not be considered as a step to push Turkey away," he said.