BY ISMET BERKAN
RADIKAL- We don't mention it so often, but we have a goal: full EU membership. We never talk about it, but the driving force of the relatively stable economic growth we're enjoying today is our EU membership drive.
If we didn't have this aim, we wouldn't have as much economic stability as we have today and we couldn't think about some plans for our future.
In this respect, it's important that two more chapters in our talks will be opened today in Brussels with the participation of Ali Babacan, our economy minister and chief negotiator for EU talks. Don't forget that this train is still going along, albeit slowly.
Here I'll reiterate things I've said many times before: The real aim is the happiness and welfare of all, not EU membership. Today the best tool to reach this goal is holding membership talks with the EU. To the extent that we succeed in these talks, the gulf between us and prosperous Western countries will shrink.
Don't mind the shrill voices. Turkey's full membership perspective didn't end with Nicholas Sarkozy becoming president of France. It may slow down or face some political troubles, but these hurdles, accidents or bumps shouldn't keep us from looking at the big picture.
In this big picture, the rapid progress Turkey will make through negotiations with the EU can be seen.
Will these negotiations succeed? Will Turkey become an EU member?
We don't have to answer these questions today. What is important is walking this path towards full membership. I believe that the road leading towards a goal is as important as the goal itself. We should walk this way without getting tired or bored. Doing so will speed up our goal.
Yesterday, France put a hurdle in front of us. We aren't going to open one of the chapters that we're ready to. This chapter was the one aiming at monetary union.
Of course Turkey won't adopt the euro as soon as this chapter is closed. We have a lot of time before that, but negotiations in this chapter would help Turkey grow closer with a lot of economic institutions, including the European counterparts of our Central Bank and Finance Ministry. But this hurdle isn't so important. If Portugal, which takes over the EU term presidency next week, tries hard enough, we could start negotiations on as many as five chapters over the next six months.
Moreover, a Europe which has left its constitutional crisis behind it will have more room to look forward, and Turkey will continue to occupy a central place in the EU's future plans.
As I've said before, what EU countries do or what kind of stances they take against Turkey aren't important. What is important is Turkey's appetite for negotiations and full membership. So we should always keep our eyes on the prize."