MEPs urge EU to synchronize Caucasus policy with Turkey
Posted by meb at August 30th, 2008
Turkey’s importance for Europe has grown in the aftermath of a brief Russian-Georgian war in the Caucasus and Europe should develop joint strategies with Turkey, members of the European Parliament said yesterday.
Cem Özdemir, a German member of the European Parliament, said it was an undeniable fact that Turkey’s importance has grown in the aftermath of the Caucasus crisis. “This is why there is a greater need for closer ties between Turkey and the European Union,” he told a press conference in Berlin. “Of course, there are conditions to be met for this, but Turkey should become a part of Europe.”
Georgia launched a military offensive in the pro-Russian breakaway region of South Ossetia on Aug. 7. Russia, in turn, sent its forces into South Ossetia and some parts of Georgia, briefly occupying parts of Georgia proper. This week Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent nations.
Turkey, the only NATO member in the area, is the main outlet for westbound Caspian oil and gas and it controls the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, through which Russia and other Black Sea countries ship most of their trade.
“The EU would be acting wisely if it included Turkey in its strategies,” said Özdemir, who is also competing for leadership of the German Green party, noting that Turkey has good relations with all countries in the region, except Georgia, and that it is the only country that has no claims in other regional countries’ territories.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, another member of the European Parliament, backed Özdemir, saying the process of Turkish membership should be sped up to help efforts to resolve the crisis in the Caucasus.
Both Özdemir and Cohn-Bendit are supporters of Turkey’s membership in the EU. Turkey has been a candidate for membership in the 27-nation bloc since 1999 and accession negotiations were opened in 2005, but progress has been very slow since then due to problems over Cyprus and what the EU says is the slow pace of reforms on the part of Turkey.
Proponents of Turkey’s EU membership say the bloc will be stronger with the addition of Turkey, strategically located between the energy-rich Caspian and the Middle East, on the one hand, and Europe on the other.
Since the outbreak of the Caucasus crisis, Turkey has pursued a mid-way policy, voicing its support for Georgia’s territorial integrity but refraining from strong condemnations of Russia, its main natural gas supplier and key trade partner. It has also become a center of regional diplomacy: The Azerbaijani foreign minister had talks in Ankara on Friday and the Georgian and Russian foreign ministers are scheduled to follow with separate talks in days ahead.
source: Today’s Zaman
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