Suat Kiniklioglu, an influential member of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP), said there was “widespread Turkish sentiment” that newly appointed EU president Van Rompuy would harm Turkey’s European aspirations and suggested that France and Germany had championed him for that reason.
“We are concerned,” said Kiniklioglu, a member of the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee and the AKP’s deputy chairman for external affairs.
“This man has made it very clear that he doesn’t want to see Turkey in the European Union. What is even sadder is that he is making that argument on the basis of the supposed Christian values of the union. That’s not the type of union we envisage. The values we envisage are of democracy, transparency, human rights and the rule of law,” Kiniklioglu said.
Kiniklioglu was referring to remarks by Van Rompuy in the Belgian parliament in 2004 that “Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe.”
Van Rompuy had also said: “An expansion of the EU to include Turkey cannot be considered as just another expansion as in the past. The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigor with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey.”
The comments have been widely seen in Turkey as chiming with opposition to Turkish membership as voiced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The EU voted unanimously to begin accession talks with Turkey in 2004, prompting an initial outpouring of pro-European enthusiasm in the country. However, the early euphoria evaporated as prospects for Turkish membership foundered amid protracted negotiations to open various chapters of EU law.
European politicians have blamed the slow pace of reform in Turkey.
But Turkish politicians cite European prejudice, particularly in Germany and France.
Kiniklioglu said these considerations had driven Van Rompuy’s appointment.
“His appointment is really evidence that the Franco-German axis in the union is gaining strength,” he said. “I would not be surprised that his views on Turkey have played a role in that choice.”
This month, Turkish EU minister and chief membership negotiator Egemen Bagis said he would have welcomed former British prime minister Tony Blair as president. Blair is warmly regarded in Turkey for vocally supporting its membership in the run-up to the 2004 accession vote.
Kiniklioglu said dismay at Van Rompuy’s appointment had been eased by the choice of a Briton, Cathy Ashton, as foreign minister, but lamented that a higher profile figure had not been selected.
“We are perplexed. I don’t think these choices are in consonance with what the Lisbon treaty is trying to achieve,” he said.
“The idea was that you would have one voice, a high-profile person who would have experience in dealing with international leaders and would drive the desire to make the EU a player in global affairs,” he said.
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