Clinton told a conference in İstanbul on Monday on “Leadership for Sustainable Success” organized on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of real estate company Sinpaş GYO that Turkey’s role in the world is larger today.
Answering a question from a board member of Sinpaş, Avni Çelik, about the differences between Turkey today and Turkey 10 years ago, Clinton said Turkey’s role in the world is bigger and that the country can see its mistakes in a more critical way. He also stated that its ability to cooperate has improved.
Clinton also praised the reconciliation process with Armenia but criticized the fact that the Halki theological seminary remains closed. “You have to think: While your population is growing, why is your Christian Orthodox community shrinking?” he asked. “Do you think it is better for the Christian Orthodox community to fall under the influence of the Russian Church?”
Clinton also recalled that he was an ardent supporter of Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
“As president, I came to the conclusion that Turkey will determine a great deal of what will happen in the 21st century,” he said. “And thus, strong relations with Turkey were forged during my administration.”
Speaking to the same conference former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Turkey’s future lies in full membership of the European Union.
Schroeder also said it is Turkey’s right to expect the EU to be loyal to the principle of “pacta sunt servanda,” a principle of international law which means in Latin that agreements must be kept.
Efforts must be made to inform the Turkish public about the EU and to convince those who are actually against Turkish membership in the EU, he said.
In a relatively short period of time, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan convinced EU leaders of the seriousness of Turkish efforts to join the EU and the steps to promote reforms and to fulfill the membership criteria, Schroeder said.
Turkey’s changing direction away from the EU would be wrong for the Turkish people and Turkey itself, Schroeder also said.
Concerning the global financial crisis, Schroeder stated that describing the global crisis as a “tsunami” was correct. The impact of a tsunami cannot be felt in the first wave. A tsunami’s real impact is seen once the first wave recedes, he added.
Many nations have become economically stable thanks to the actions of their politicians and economists, Schroeder said, also emphasizing that certain efforts made nationally must be repeated on a global scale.
“We cannot accept the division of the world into two camps. We should not permit the division of our world into one camp of those who are reaping the fruits of globalization and another camp that is suffering due to globalization,” he said.
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