Interview news Turkey's EU ambassador: Membership will disprove "clash of civilisations" 

In spite of the recent highly critical Oostlander report of the European Parliament, Turkey's ambassador to the EU remains confident and full of fighting spirit. In an exclusive interview with EurActiv he argues the case for opening up negotiations on his country's accession to the EU at the EU summit in December 2004.

"If Turkey joins the EU, it will project stability to the region, it will prove that democracy, human rights and European values do work in a Muslim country. By itself it will establish a model to be followed for the surrounding regions. The thesis of theclash of civilisationswill prove to be a fallacy. It's the best argument to terrorist groups who seek a pretext for their acts in the differences between countries."

"As a NATO member Turkey has played a vital role in the defence of Europe since the early fifties. We support European Security and Defence Policy, and we will be a net contributor to this area," says Demiralp, adding that in the field ofnatural gas and oil, Turkey's proximity to the main regions of production will ensure the safety of supply routes for Europe.

He also thinks that it will be much easier to defend Europe: "Turkey will, so to say, be a strong shield against waves of instability which could come from these unstable regions. Europe now has the intention of becoming a global actor in the world. It cannot be so without Turkey."

He downplays the challenging task of the EU to enlarge yet again to take in Turkey, favouring a broader perspective: "EU will find the best way to cope with the consequences of enlargement, but it is inevitable that the enlargement will also have to include Turkey. It is astrategic necessityfor the survival of Europe in the future. You have to see it from a larger historical perspective. In the face of globalisation, the EU cannot stay as a small union of Western European countries only."

Confronted with a recent survey that found 62 per cent of Turks thinking that the EU is applying double standards on the question of Turkish membership, he says:

"Public perception is not only decided by the Council and the Commission. Turkish people also hear the voices coming from parliamentarians and different politicians, who do question our status as a future member. That certainly puzzles public opinion. And in the past there have been times whendouble standardshave been applied to Turkey - take the 1997 December summit, where Turkey was refused candidacy status. It was redressed two years later, but it is in the public memory. And we also hear remarks from different corners that question decisions taken at EU Summits."

Demiralp will not speculate on the consequences of a 'no' to Turkey at the EU summit in December 2004. He says that Turkey is working on the assumption that the EU will take a positive decision: "Read the Copenhagen Summit conclusions. If we go on the basis of the 'pacta sunt servanda' principle on which European civilisation is based, it is very simple: If Turkey fulfils thepolitical criteria, we start negotiations without delay within a few months. And there should not be a negative vote."

Turkeys EU ambassador calmly dismisses the importance of the highly criticalOostlander reportfrom the European Parliament:

"The Oostlander report (see

EurActiv 2 April 2004) does not pose an obstacle to us. If you compare it with last year's report, you will see a lot of improvement. There are remaining items, we acknowledge that, but they should we completed in the next few months to come, they should not be exaggerated. In April there will be new bills adopted in the Turkish Parliament based on the Commission's report from No vember 2003."

He reacts to a perception that theuse of tortureis still a persistent problem in Turkey, by putting the onus on the EUs own problems in this respect:

"I don't want to give names, but there are also EU countries that have problem with torture. You are inclined to take for granted that EU Member States respect Human Rights, which is not the case. One of the main shortcomings in the EU institutions is there is no self monitoring of Human Rights. President Romano Prodi proposed an agency for thesurveillance of Human Rights in EU. We support that. Nevertheless I should underline that the Turkish Government has adopted and successfully been implementing 'zero tolerance' policy against cases of mistreatment. Radical Legislative changes are therefore being translated into life."

On the perspective of Turkey soon becomingthe biggest Member Statein an enlarged EU on the basis of the current Turkish population of 65 million and its growth rate of 1.43 per cent compared to EU's currently biggest Member State, Germany with a population of 82 million and growth rate of 0.04 per cent, he says:

"Could be, could not be - according to statistics the Turkish population will stabilise at around 85-90 million people," he says and adds that "Germany is also growing. And if you analyse mathematical studies on the so called'qualified majority'issue, there are studies which conclude that the main problem would be solved in much easier manner if Turkey were a member, because the percentage between big and other countries would get narrower. Turkey would then have a vote 7-8 per cent like other big countries."

On the question of whether Demiralp understands the fear in parts of EU populations that say that Turkish people are Muslims and thus not really like Europeans, he comments:

"That is not a European approach, I can understand it, but I cannot accept. And if you think that a Greek is closer to a Swede than he is to a Turk, then you are completely wrong. EU means diversity in unity. That is the founding principle of the EU. If yourEuropean valuesare considered as universal values by us, and if ýou then go on to think that European values cannot apply in aMuslim countrybecause Muslims are bound to remain different then that is the bankrupty of European civilisation. We try to explain and discuss and make our case. We try to explain to the Europeans what European values are. They are not limited to christians, other modern nations can adhere to them too."