Turkey and the EU--an inexhaustible topic these days. It has started a conversation on which Europe cannot seem to agree. While European nations are still discussing the circumstances around Turkey's potential accession to the European Union, radical Bulgarian politicians already expressed their strong opposition.
In a recent interview Nikola Rachev argued that the Turkish values and religious views are completely incompatible with the European ones. Although 25-year-old Rachev is a student at Sofia's Medical University and speaks three foreign languages, his argument is hardly the most convincing for a well-educated young individual.
Turkey is a modern secular democracy that has been developing at a fast pace. It will, undoubtedly, contribute a diverse perspective to the established EU mosaic. After all, one of the EU's goals is to help make different cultures and values compatible with one another.
Moreover, EU support will mitigate Turkey's political persecutions. The award-winning Auf Der Anderen Seite clearly reveals the need for such type of implementations.
Turkey and the EU--will we exhaust this topic by the next round of EU accession talks?
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3 comments:
After all EU is not a religous organization...
what turkey needs to work on is its treatment of prisoners, who are often journalist/writers with radical opinions (diarbekir still exists and is quite similar to guantanamo), its denial of fundamental rights to the its biggest minority - the kurds, and the fact that it is largely a military country, ruled by the military. nobody denies the progress they have made, but all these issues need careful revision. also, only 4-5% of its territory is actually in europe, which i think, matters.
Maria, I think all your comments gives light to some legitimate arguments people have been making in terms of Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Yet I can name other nations, current members of the EU, which deny fundamental rights to its big minorities. My motherland is one of them.
It is true that a small territory percentage of Turkey is part of Europe. Yet, historically, Turkey has had a great influence over European geopolitics and economic development. Not to mention Europe's recent pipeline deals with Turkey.
There is no denial of the fact that Turkey needs to work on many national issues to become part of an international organization like the EU. But will other European nations address in a structured manner the religious and cultural differences setting Turkey and the EU apart. When will the rest of us consider such differences surmountable, is my question.
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