Europe "needs Turkey as much as Turkey needs Europe."
Not a statement you'd expect from the President of Germany, given the country's staunch and long standing objection to Turkey's accession into the European Union, but that is exactly what he said.
"We can complement each other in many ways and collaborate for the solution of problems in the Middle East Caucasus and the Balkans," said Wulff, Speaking at a dinner hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in his honour at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
He also said:
"Turkey is an important partner for Germany, one with self confidence. However there is yet much we can and must do to enhance the mutual understanding. Building the bridges and promoting the dialogue we aspire, through projects within the scope of the Ernst Reuter Initiative, is my personal desire and our common goal."
"Turkey, with its growing weight in the world, is a very important partner for us in climate change policies, in counter-terrorism, and finance market regulation. Therefore, I shall work within my full capacity to enhance German-Turkish partnership and brotherhood," said Wulff.
The statements came just a few days after a partial visa-free deal between Turkey and Portugal was announced. The deal will cover only citizens that hold a special passport, and will only allow travel for up to 90 days every six months. It still has to be ratified by parliaments on both sides.
These can only be called significant steps in Turkey's process of joining the EU. We have written many times on this blog that EU accession has become less necessary for Turkey in recent times, but we also agree with an article in The economist saying that while EU entry may be a long, long way off, aspiring and reforming towards it are good for Turkey and should continue.
No comments:
Post a Comment