In his address Ahtisaari said some EU countries had expressed the opinion that Turkey would not be an EU member after the negotiations had started, which was against EU decisions made unanimously at EU summits. Ahtisaari said there were no reasons for Europe to be afraid of Turkey's membership. He said he would not feel uncomfortable if a Turk, such as [then-State Minister for Economic Affairs] Kemal Devriş or [Turkish President] Abdullah Gül, presided over an EU meeting.
Touching upon the Armenian issue, he said, in Turkey there is now more openness to discuss issues related to Armenia and that he thinks positively about the contribution of intellectuals to this process. Noting the importance of the diplomacy between the two countries started by President Gül's visit to a soccer match in Yerevan, Ahtisaari said, “However, decisions made by other foreign parliaments regarding the so-called Armenian genocide harm the peace efforts between Turkey and Armenia and cause hopelessness among the Turkish public.” Ahtisaari also said Turkish-Armenian relations will positively affect the entire Caucasus region.
