SARAJEVO - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, ''when foundation efforts for the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process started about eight years ago, today's level of co-operation among the Balkan countries was unimaginable. Today, ongoing reform process and co-operation in our region which was described in the past as the powder keg of Europe, have reached an exemplary level for the other regions in the world.''
Speaking at the Seventh Summit of Heads of State and Government of Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process on Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdogan extended condolences to Macedonian people on behalf of Turkish nation and Turkish government upon demise of President Boris Trajkovski of Macedonia in a plane crash on February 26, 2004.
''Demise of Trajkovski is a grave loss for both Macedonia and the international community. Trajkovski's precious contributions to Macedonia's acquiring a peaceful atmosphere, its integration with European-Atlantic institutions and its becoming a source of stability in the region will always be appreciated,'' he said.
Prime Minister Erdogan stressed, ''when foundation efforts for the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process started about eight years ago, today's level of co-operation among the Balkan countries was unimaginable. Today, ongoing reform process and co-operation in our region which was described in the past as the powder keg of Europe, have reached an exemplary level for the other regions in the world.''
''The concept of Balkanization defining division and polarization, has been replaced with the understanding of a 'Balkan model' providing a sound ground of co-operation. We all wish that last month's acts of violence in Kosovo, which resulted in casualties and financial damage, will not overshadow our co-operation. We regretted that some historical and religious places having the quality of common cultural inheritance of the whole humanity, were targeted during these unfortunate events. We welcomed Belgrade and Pristina administrations' determination about condemning such attacks, bringing those responsible to the justice, and repairing these places,'' he underlined.
Erdogan said, ''we also support efforts of the international community to seek for the reasons of acts of violence to prevent repetition of similar events in the future. We wish its strategy 'standards before strategy' to achieve success and continuation of the opening provided in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process. We think that pluralist democracy should be formed in Kosovo and that a security atmosphere in which Kosovars could live in peace should be provided.
Pointing out that the Balkans had an important place in history of Turkey, Erdogan said Turkey, which was a Caucasian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean country as well as its Balkan identity, attributed importance to the further strengthening of relative stability and peace in the Balkans.
Erdogan said Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process deserved a special support and interest, and noted that he believed political dimensions of the process should be strengthened.
Erdogan said the flexibility provided by the current structure of the Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process was one of the reasons of the success of the process, noting that he believed that this flexible structure should be preserved.
Erdogan said Bucharest Charter, which had been signed in February 2000 foresaw necessary mechanisms to overcome the technical difficulties in front of the process and preserve functionality. Erdogan said alternatives provided by the Bucharest Charter should be evaluated well before new structures.
Erdogan said Bosnia-Herzegovina, which will hand over term presidency carried out a very influential and perfect assignment in this respect, stressing that Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process showed the will of development of cooperation between regional countries.
Erdogan said that those countries gained esteem of other countries, EU and Stability Pact and noted that the success of the process would contribute to stability and prosperity in the region. He said that Balkans would start to be mentioned with concepts including 'ethnical adjustment'', ''mutual respect'' and ''existing together in peace.''
Erdogan said that this situation would speed up process of Balkan countries' taking their place in Europe and Europe-Atlantic structures and noted that cooperation and mutual support with those structures would serve common interests of countries.
Prime Minister Erdogan stressed that political and economic cooperation should be further strengthened to make peace and stability lasting in the region and for benefits of countries.
Stating that Turkey should be ready to undertake responsibility in order to take initiative in issues concerning security and prosperity, Erdogan said that the responsibility of taking necessary steps in those issues should belong to them.
Erdogan said that they welcomed Croatia's decision to upgrade its status in the process and noted that they believed that the process would be further strengthened with Croatia's full membership.
Erdogan congratulated Bosnia-Herzegovina as the term president of Southeast European Countries Cooperation Process on its effective and important studies and he also congratulated Romania on its undertaking new term presidency of the Process.
(UK-EÖ-AY) 21.04.2004