ISTANBUL - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said on Monday that the European Union (EU) membership negotiations should start immediately in case Turkey would fulfill the policies that were determined in Copenhagen Summit in the end of this year.
Making a speech at German-Turkish Economy Forum, Schroeder said that EU would have ten new members on May 1 and added that Turkey had been exerting efforts to be a member of EU for a long period of time.
Recalling that the time table on the issue was set by EU heads of states and governments in December 2002, Schroeder said that in case Turkey would fulfill the policies that were determined in Copenhagen Summit by the end of this year, then membership negotiations should start immediately. He added that Germany had to behave justly to a country which had been a friend of Germany.
Noting that there were various discussion within EU on the issue and those discussions were very natural, Schroeder said that however those discussions and different views would not change the promise that Germany had given to Turkey.
Schroeder said that Turkey knew what the criteria were and it was on the path to fulfill them. He added that the other countries were also asked to fulfill the same criteria and they should not demand more than fulfilling these criteria from Turkey.
Schroeder said that his meetings in Ankara showed that the new government in Turkey would never give up making progress on the path of political and economic stability and added that Germany was following this reform policy with great respect.
Schroeder stressed that peoples of two culture were getting closer to each other for years.
Schroeder referred to 2.5 million people of Turkish origin who had been living in Germany and recalled German people who had taken shelter in Turkey in national socialism period. He said that Turkey had become a home to Germans who had to leave their countries especially in a bad period.
Regarding Turkey's EU membership process, Schroeder said that they hoped that reforms would not remain on paper and Turkey would put them into practice in 2004.
Schroeder said that he had no doubt that this path would and should have to carry Turkey to EU, but he was aware that this path necessitated long efforts and overcoming big problems.
Schroeder said that Turkey was a close and reliable partner for Germany and Europe in fight against international terrorism within NATO.
Noting that European perspective was for the interest of people who were living in Turkey and in EU at the same time, Schroeder said that a democratic Turkey, which was responsible and governed according to interest of Europe, would clearly show that there was no contradiction between Islamic belief and modern and enlightened society.
Touching on Iraq issue, Schroeder said that they were consciously following Turkey's policy on that issue.
Schroeder said that Turkey and Germany should have a close cooperation on the issue of modernization and democratization in Near and Middle East.
Regarding Cyprus issue, Schroeder said that this issue has been distressing everybody and especially people in Cyprus for years and added that they finally had a foreseable future on the issue.
Noting that he would like to say that this situation was related especially with personal influence of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Schroeder said that he hoped that reunification of Cyprus would happen before the enlargement of the EU.
Noting that there were many businessmen of Turkish origin in Germany and they wanted this number to increase, Schroeder said that they could make cooperation with Turkish investors in fields such as transportation, aircraft industry and energy.
Schroeder said that they presented important opportunities to Turkish entrepreneurs and requested them to benefit from those opportunities.
Schroeder said that German-Turkish Chamber of Trade and Industry would be opened in Cologne in April to help small and medium scale enterprises that would come from Turkey.
(GC-AÖ) 23.02.2004