The report on issues as old as the Republic of Turkey could hardly be more positive. However, some of the issues raised present broader and more numerous implications and difficulties for the incumbent government and Turkey than is suggested in the report. Besides this, there are international relations, interests and obstacles likely to be raised by other countries in and around Turkey, while Turkey is trying to manage the affairs raised in the report. Interference by domestic opponents, international lobbies and transnational interest groups may slow Turkey's aims to achieve, but their concerns need to be strategically overcome for the common good. The Turkish government needs to prove that they are sincere, constructive and committed to resolving problems, though aware that where a problem involves many diverse parties, there is not always a solution which wins the complete approval of all parties.The expertise of those who prepared this report should also be acknowledged and seen as a gain for Turkey, where we are not yet inured to the abrasive language all too often used about us in Europe. In this case at least, the analysis is thorough and correct, and the language of the report is careful and sensitive.
International affairs depend on give-and-take and must be based upon mutual interest, respect and interdependence. With the proliferation of technology, travel, communications and transnational corporations many issues are no longer local and regional. For social, economic, political and, to a larger extent, cultural, humanitarian and moral reasons, a single issue may concern all nations and peoples. So, Europe's interest and interests in Turkey are multi-dimensional. Turkey is seen as a country with a unique geo–strategic position with great economic potential, a country with resources under and above ground, with a young and dynamic workforce that would bring considerable benefit to the aging and economically straitened EU. The EU needs new openings and a respected and stable counterpart when it comes to the Caucasus and Middle East. Especially in recent energy, oil and gas pipeline projects, Turkey is a vital partner. On the other hand, Turkey will not lose out in its relations with the EU, as is suggested by the joint front of ultranationalists and the self-appointed old guard of the republic. In the fields of democratization, civil rights and the supremacy and rule of law, Turkey's gains will be greater than its economic and financial ones.
The report indicates that there is an impression that the EU has discriminatory and double standards when dealing with Turkey, especially as a Muslim country. The number of people in favor of Turkey joining the EU is far greater than those who oppose it. But what the report fails to adequately address is these opponents. It is not easy for the government to pass legislative amendments in the face of opposition from the new ultranationalist front of the far right, the left and the old guard of the republic to all initiatives and the opposition's use of the Constitutional Court on the passage of any amendment by Parliament.
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government finds itself in a situation where it needs to resolve all issues at once: Cyprus, the Kurds, the Armenians, the Alevis, the new constitution, terror, the economic crisis, ethnic and religious minorities, the role and weight of religion, secularism and the military. On top of these, the formidable joint front of the opposition parties, judiciary, media, academics and the military. Although these people are in a minority, since they hold the highest positions, it becomes extremely difficult for a government to overcome such obstacles within a period as short as two years as suggested by the report. If any single Turkish government had resolved such issues or any of them one-by-one since the inception of the republic and had not been prevented from doing so, Turkey would be in a far better position among world nations in contributing to democracy, human rights, justice, prosperity and peace.
No doubt the Turkish people, we men and women of common sense and rationality, will support any initiative to improve the position of Turkey and the Turkish people. We are all committed to progress in terms of economic, political and cultural reforms that will relieve Turkish-Kurdish tensions, to resolve the bitter legacies and dark dealings of the past and to secure enduring social peace throughout Turkey and the region. We are exerting ourselves to establish respect for cultural liberties and wider freedom of expression. However, for their credibility, we would like to see sincere efforts by European governments to curb support for the militants of any illegal group recognized as a terrorist group from within the EU. We also expect European governments to honor their commitments and treat Turkey with fairness and the respect it deserves.
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