Davutoğlu’s remarks came on Saturday in Lapland, Finland, ahead of an informal meeting with seven of his EU counterparts, news portal EUobserver reported.
“We want the EU to be much more active in all international affairs and also much more visionary, because the EU itself is a good example of how countries who had serious difficulties, the worst tensions in the past, came together based on the principle of values as well as economic interests,” Davutoğlu was quoted as saying, while he described the EU as a “good model” of unity and added that countries in the South Caucasus and the Middle East could learn from European integration.
“The EU can provide strong messages and very good examples for other countries and regions,” he said.
As of Sunday, the global dispute surrounding Iran’s controversial nuclear program was a top item on agenda of the ministers. The French and Finish ministers have said that a UN resolution on new sanctions against Iran may not be ready until June and that if a vote on it fails, European states could take unilateral measures instead.
Davutoğlu, who has visited Iran several times to try to broker a uranium exchange deal that might prevent the need for sanctions, said he had had an open exchange with his colleagues, including EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, on the Iran nuclear issue and remained convinced sanctions were wrong. “We shared our views and we are trying to develop a common approach,” he said when asked if he had managed to convince his EU counterparts that sanctions on Iran were the wrong idea. “I believe there is room for diplomacy and that the EU can play a significant role. If there is good strategic cooperation between Turkey and the EU, that will help not only the Iran nuclear issue but all other regional issues in the Middle East and the Balkans,” he said.
