“When one doesn't speak the language of the country in which one lives that doesn't serve anyone: not the person concerned, not the country and not the society,” Gül said in an interview published in Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Saturday. “That is why I tell them at every opportunity that they should learn German, and speak it fluently and without an accent. That should start in nurseries.”
On Özil, who scored one of Germany's three goals against Turkey in a Euro 2012 qualifying match earlier this month, the president said: “If he had asked me which side to play for, I would have encouraged him to play for Germany.” According to Gül, the Oct. 8 game in Berlin, which Turkey lost 3-0, was “an example of very successful integration.”
Gül also accused European Union leaders of lacking strategic vision about Turkey's possible membership in the 27-nation bloc. He admitted that Turkey has shortcomings in meeting the EU accession criteria but argued that the main reason why the membership talks proceed so slowly is “a lack of strategic vision and strategic thinking on the part of European politicians and intellectuals.” Germany, along with France, opposes Turkey's membership, calling instead for a “privileged partnership.”
