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Turkey, Germany to establish strategic mechanism
Westerwelle, speaking at a joint press with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu, in Ankara, said that if Germans make a promise, they keep it and that this is true for EU-Turkey relations. “Negotiations between the EU and Turkey are still going on. Both sides have much homework to do. This is an open-ended process but envisages Turkey's membership in the EU,” he said.
When asked about his coalition partner Angela Merkel's strong support for a privileged partnership status for Turkey-EU relations, Westerwelle said: “I am not a tourist on a short visit here. I am here as a representative of the federal government of Germany.”
He added that there is no reason to act as if the decision regarding Turkey-EU relations will be made this year and noted that there are many discussions on the issue in both Europe and Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoğlu added that Turkey is pursing a very active policy regarding the EU and will continue its reform process for the sake of its own people, meaning there is no slowing down on the technical level.
“But when it comes to the Cyprus issue, the whole responsibility is placed on Turkey. Also there are internal discussions in Europe; these are the reasons for the slowdown,” he said.
During his visit, Westerwelle also addressed Turkish ambassadors who are in Ankara for a one-week meeting to discuss Turkish foreign policy. He also met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and State Minister Ali Babacan.
Davutoğlu at the joint press conference said they had the chance to elaborate on many subjects that needed to be addressed.
He added that the two countries had decided to establish strategic cooperation mechanisms and increase bilateral high-level visits to address not only bilateral relations but also world affairs such as Afghanistan, which was one of the main subjects of the talks.
While addressing the ambassadors, Westerwelle said Germany and Turkey had became closer than ever over the last few years in both economic and cultural terms.
He added that there are almost 4,000 German companies in Turkey and that cultural ties will improve even more after the opening of a Turkish-German joint university.
Westerwelle in his speech also mentioned the Turkish government’s democratization initiative which aims to solve the country’s Kurdish question.
“It is worth appreciating that the Turkish government is ready to take new steps to solve old conflicts. We see this wish in domestic Turkish politics,” he said, and added that he is following developments regarding the democratization initiative with great interest.
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