Jigs
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Thursday, September 23, 2010
BERLIN - Daily News with wires
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has called on the European Union to step up its faltering talks with Turkey over the country’s bid to join the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The minister said Europe should send Ankara a positive signal in response to the country’s latest political reforms.
Westerwelle’s call to deepen engagement with Turkey could put him at odds with other European countries, led by France and Austria, that are opposed to Turkey joining the EU and want a more limited association with the large, mainly Muslim nation.
It could also reopen tensions with conservative supporters of Westerwelle’s partner in power, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who are also deeply skeptical about letting Turkey into the European bloc.
“Nobody should rashly snub Turkey by slamming the door in its face after all its efforts,” Westerwelle told the Wall Street Journal in his first interview as foreign minister with an international newspaper. Europe, he suggested, cannot afford to underestimate Turkey’s rising economic strength and strategic importance.
Referring to the constitutional changes that Turkish voters approved this month, Westerwelle said the constitutional overhaul “is a step in the right direction,” adding: “It shows that Turkey wants a European future and has a European perspective.”
The EU’s nearly frozen talks with Turkey are a source of concern for U.S. policymakers, who say they fear a disillusioned Turkey is turning away from a pro-Western foreign policy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in June that Turkey’s recent “eastward” tilt, including overtures to Iran and deteriorating relations with Israel, were “in no small part because it was pushed ... by some in Europe” who had rebuffed Turkey’s EU aspirations.
Westerwelle’s pro-business Free Democratic Party triumphed in Germany’s elections last year in an alliance with Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union, but the coalition has since suffered from internal squabbles and a public perception of drift. The government has since fallen so far in opinion polls that the FDP might even struggle to get into parliament if new elections were today.
Westerwelle’s decision to champion Turkey’s EU aspirations has added to tensions with the CDU over domestic policy. Merkel has proposed a “privileged partnership” for Turkey short of full membership, a concept French President Nicolas Sarkozy also has taken up.
Westerwelle and his party have wavered on the question of EU membership for Turkey over the years. Since forming the government with the Christian Democrats, however, the minister has made Turkey one of his signature foreign-policy issues. He insisted that the coalition agreement between his party and the Christian Democrats describe the outcome of the EU’s talks with Ankara as “open,” sending a positive signal to Turkey that many German conservatives opposed.
Currently, Turkey has only opened talks with the European Union on 13 of the 35 policy areas, known as “chapters,” where it needs to adapt to EU law. The EU has declined talks on many other areas.
The German foreign minister said he pushed hard to achieve the opening of two new chapters in the past year, and that the EU must maintain the momentum behind the talks. “Now we must act wisely and early enough so that we don’t arrive at a dead end by the end of this year,” when the bloc’s currently limited talks with Turkey could peter out entirely, he said.
While many in Europe view Turkey as a poor supplicant to a rich Europe, Westerwelle warns that such a perspective underestimates the country’s fast economic rise – its per-capita gross domestic product has roughly tripled in the last eight years – as well as the speed of change in global politics. Turkey’s strategic importance means Europe’s engagement with the country needs to go far beyond the nitty-gritty of the EU accession talks, he said.
“It sometimes amazes me how self-assuredly countries that are influential today assume that things will always be that way,” he said. “It’s only a question of time before these young, dynamic societies [such as Turkey] are also among the political, cultural and intellectual centers of the world.”
BERLIN - Daily News with wires
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has called on the European Union to step up its faltering talks with Turkey over the country’s bid to join the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The minister said Europe should send Ankara a positive signal in response to the country’s latest political reforms.
Westerwelle’s call to deepen engagement with Turkey could put him at odds with other European countries, led by France and Austria, that are opposed to Turkey joining the EU and want a more limited association with the large, mainly Muslim nation.
It could also reopen tensions with conservative supporters of Westerwelle’s partner in power, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who are also deeply skeptical about letting Turkey into the European bloc.
“Nobody should rashly snub Turkey by slamming the door in its face after all its efforts,” Westerwelle told the Wall Street Journal in his first interview as foreign minister with an international newspaper. Europe, he suggested, cannot afford to underestimate Turkey’s rising economic strength and strategic importance.
Referring to the constitutional changes that Turkish voters approved this month, Westerwelle said the constitutional overhaul “is a step in the right direction,” adding: “It shows that Turkey wants a European future and has a European perspective.”
The EU’s nearly frozen talks with Turkey are a source of concern for U.S. policymakers, who say they fear a disillusioned Turkey is turning away from a pro-Western foreign policy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in June that Turkey’s recent “eastward” tilt, including overtures to Iran and deteriorating relations with Israel, were “in no small part because it was pushed ... by some in Europe” who had rebuffed Turkey’s EU aspirations.
Westerwelle’s pro-business Free Democratic Party triumphed in Germany’s elections last year in an alliance with Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union, but the coalition has since suffered from internal squabbles and a public perception of drift. The government has since fallen so far in opinion polls that the FDP might even struggle to get into parliament if new elections were today.
Westerwelle’s decision to champion Turkey’s EU aspirations has added to tensions with the CDU over domestic policy. Merkel has proposed a “privileged partnership” for Turkey short of full membership, a concept French President Nicolas Sarkozy also has taken up.
Westerwelle and his party have wavered on the question of EU membership for Turkey over the years. Since forming the government with the Christian Democrats, however, the minister has made Turkey one of his signature foreign-policy issues. He insisted that the coalition agreement between his party and the Christian Democrats describe the outcome of the EU’s talks with Ankara as “open,” sending a positive signal to Turkey that many German conservatives opposed.
Currently, Turkey has only opened talks with the European Union on 13 of the 35 policy areas, known as “chapters,” where it needs to adapt to EU law. The EU has declined talks on many other areas.
The German foreign minister said he pushed hard to achieve the opening of two new chapters in the past year, and that the EU must maintain the momentum behind the talks. “Now we must act wisely and early enough so that we don’t arrive at a dead end by the end of this year,” when the bloc’s currently limited talks with Turkey could peter out entirely, he said.
While many in Europe view Turkey as a poor supplicant to a rich Europe, Westerwelle warns that such a perspective underestimates the country’s fast economic rise – its per-capita gross domestic product has roughly tripled in the last eight years – as well as the speed of change in global politics. Turkey’s strategic importance means Europe’s engagement with the country needs to go far beyond the nitty-gritty of the EU accession talks, he said.
“It sometimes amazes me how self-assuredly countries that are influential today assume that things will always be that way,” he said. “It’s only a question of time before these young, dynamic societies [such as Turkey] are also among the political, cultural and intellectual centers of the world.”
