The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects the comments of the European Commission in the annual evaluation of Turkey, as a candidate country for membership, referring to “unfair evaluations”, especially regarding the political criteria and the internal political situation.
Much of Ankara’s response to Brussels is devoted to the report’s highlights on Turkey’s relations with Greece and Cyprus, while it states, among other things, Ankara’s expectation for the removal of political obstacles in its relations with the EU imposed by the Council in 2019.
Specifically, the Turkish announcement states: “The report highlights that Turkey played a constructive role in the Eastern Mediterranean, improved its relations with Greece and strengthened trade cooperation with the EU. Given Turkey’s constructive approach, as noted in the report, we expect that the political obstacles to Turkey-EU relations imposed by the Council conclusions of 15 July 2019 will be removed.”
On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks of “unrealistic, illegal and maximalist views of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side” that are included in the report, while regarding the Cyprus issue, the Turkish position is repeated that Brussels has no say in the process of resolving it problem with the additional claim that “the EU does not have the power or jurisdiction to decide on the borders of third countries”.
What does the Turkish Foreign Ministry say?
In detail, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the following regarding the Commission’s comments regarding the Greek-Turkish and Cypriot issues:
“The report reflects the unrealistic, illegal and maximalist views of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side, while completely ignoring the legitimate concerns and justified policies of both Turkey and the (so-called) Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We would like to underline that the scheme for the settlement of the Cyprus issue includes exclusively the two sides on the island, the three guarantor powers and the United Nations. Any future settlement must be reached through the agreement of the two sides on the island.
The EU’s statements on the Cyprus issue, which unreservedly reflect the Greek Cypriot positions and do not take into account the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, do not contribute to the resolution efforts and demonstrate why the EU’s participation in a resolution process is not an appropriate option. We also remind you that the EU does not have the power or jurisdiction to decide on the borders of third countries.”
Otherwise, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its announcement places special emphasis on the areas in which the report finds progress by Turkey, such as in the economy, in the harmonization of legislation, and the recent efforts to re-approach the two sides are highlighted, which however – as emphasized – depends by the EU’s political determination and strategic vision.
“It is worth noting that the report makes reference to the progress made in macroeconomic policies and emphasizes the advanced level of functioning of the market economy in Turkey, as well as its ability to deal with competitive pressures and market forces within the Union” it is pointed out in the announcement regarding the Commission’s findings on the Turkish economy.
In addition, it is underlined that Turkey has made significant progress in harmonizing with EU standards in many areas, harmonizing its legislation with the acquis of the Union.
The revitalization of structural dialogue
“The revitalization of all the structural dialogue mechanisms that have been suspended, such as the Association Council, and the high-level dialogues in critical areas, will allow joint actions in various fields” Ankara argues and adds that “in light of today’s regional and global challenges , it is clear that a new perspective is needed for Turkey-EU relations”.
“The recent EU rapprochement efforts with Turkey are a welcome development. However, revitalizing relations depends on tangible measures driven by the EU’s political determination and strategic vision,” according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Turkey reiterates its desire to strengthen its relations with the European Union, but sets as a prerequisite for accelerating its progress concrete steps from the EU: “We would like to reiterate that, as a candidate country, Turkey’s political will to strengthen Turkey-EU relations in a constructive way is clear and strong.
The progress expected from Turkey in the EU accession process will be accelerated if the EU follows a constructive and strategic approach with concrete steps, in line with Turkey’s candidate country status.”
“In this context, we also expect the implementation of the recommendations described in the joint statement drawn up by the European Commission and the High Representative, without further delays or additional conditions” concludes the announcement of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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