MOSCOW - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Monday that when the end of 2004 has come, Turkey would not leave any opportunity to others in regard to the European Union (EU) reforms.
Gul told reporters aboard the plane enroute to Moscow, ''we have two changes left regarding the EU reforms. We will turn State Security Courts to specialized courts. We will rearrange Higher Education Board (YOK) and Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK). Then, we will not need a single legal arrangement.''
Noting that practice had to be continuous, Gul said that reform follow-up committee convened regularly and added that they would meet with ministers again after the visit.
Stating that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder underlined two things, Gul said, ''the first one is that Europe has a promise that it has given to Turkey for 50 years. Europe cannot give up its promise. The second one is the economic contribution that Turkey's membership will bring to the EU, which means mutual gain... Both Turkey and the EU will gain. He says this clearly.''
Gul said that those who did not know the capacity of Turkey thought that Turkey would take a share from the cake by entering the EU and the cake would get smaller.
Gul said, ''no. Turkey will of course take a share from the cake. But the cake will also get bigger. Turkey's economic power, labor force, young population, all of them are important advantages for the EU. There is also the political advantage. Everybody knows well how Turkey and the EU will become a strategical power. The EU now sees realities in Cyprus better. They are taking the realities of the island into consideration.''
Replying to a question whether Turkey was satisfied with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen's statements on whether an agreement to be reached in Cyprus would be accepted as basic law of EU or not, Gul said, ''these are good will. It shows they understand the issue. But there are things to be done for its gaining legal status. We exert effort for it. We consider an agreement which will be reached in the island to become EU's basic law as a condition. Because if an agreement that will be reached in the island is violated or changed within EU law within a few years, that of the agreement will have no meaning. Everybody knows this; all sides know this. All technical studies are being carried on to take this under guarantee.''
(GC-AÖ) 23.02.2004