The Turkish ambassador underlined the necessity for European leaders to put forth a vision which highlights the positive role Turkey would play if it were to act as a pacifier, bringing peace and stability to the Middle East.
Acet praised and justified the "zero-problem" policy that his country pursues with all its neighbours such as Syria, Iraq, Iran and Armenia. This approach creates economic benefits for the whole country, but most importantly for those regions which could only be considered as peripheral when tensions existed.
The ambassador also argued that his country's conciliatory strategy towards Iran is motivated by a willingness to exhaust all diplomatic routes before sanctions are imposed (EurActiv 17/11/09). Tough measures should be seen as a last resort.
Acet also stressed Turkey's central role in assuring Europe's energy security and independence. Commenting on the possible rivalry between the Nabucco and South Stream pipeline projects (EurActiv 06/10/09), he claimed that "the two pipelines are competitors to a certain extent, but at the same time they are representing the same interests: energy diversification".
He also reflected positively on the health of the Turkish economy, quoting OECD estimates according to which it could grow by 3.75% in 2010. If that were the case, Turkey would recover fully from the slump suffered during the economic crisis. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently stated that the Turkish economy contracted by 5.1% of GDP in 2009.
Although the Turkish economy has been hit badly by the economic crisis, relying heavily on exports, it was paradoxically sheltered from the worst of the economic slump thanks to reforms implemented after the 2001 banking crisis.
As for the status of the accession process, Acet claimed that other issues than the Turkey's progress down the path of reform should not be taken into account in judging whether his country is suited or not to joining the EU. He referred in particular to the stalemate over Cyprus (EurActiv 07/01/10), which is currently blocking a number of negotiating chapters.
The ambassador also delved into the attitude of European politicians, who often use the issue of Turkish membership to maximise their performance in electoral periods (EurActiv 11/05/09). This often takes place to the detriment of sober and realistic depictions of today's Turkey.
Acet claimed that making sweeping judgments on the unpreparedness of Turkey as negotiations stand is unfair and gratuitous, since a country's aptness to join the EU should be assessed at the end, not in the middle, of the accession process.
"If you say today that Turkey is not European or it should not be a member or it should be a 'privileged partner' - this is like changing the rules in the middle of a football game, allowing one team to play with two balls instead of one," he concluded.
