BY SEDAT ERGIN
HURRIYET- The first time I visited Romania was in 1978, when then Premier Bulent Ecevit visited Bucharest. Now a quarter century later I’m here again to report on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit. However the once cold and gloomy city now is in change and motion. Back then the standard of living was very low and we had to stay in an old state guesthouse, but today we’re staying at the Grand Plaza hotel.
Romania, which suffered terribly until the 1989 overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu, is now a NATO member, allows the US broad military access to its bases, and is moving towards becoming an outpost of the West. Back when Turkey first applied for full European Union membership in 1987, Romania couldn’t even take a single free breath under the Ceausescu government. But today, Romania is almost guaranteed full EU membership as of 2007. The accession talks between Bucharest and the EU are expected to be completed at the end of this year. Turkey, on the other hand, is trying to get a date this December to start accession talks in 2005.
‘We won’t forget Turkey’s support for Romania’s NATO membership,’ said Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase yesterday. ‘We will also support Turkey’s EU membership.’ Erdogan then gave him a copy of the sword of the Great Stefan, which is in the treasury of the Topkapi Palace, a gesture which heartened Nastase.
I later went to the main city square and wondered what it would look like in 10 years, and how Turkey will look then as well.