The Iron Curtain Between Turkey And Europe

BY TUFAN TURENC
HURRIYET- During last week's Sacrifice Religious Holiday, Turkey saw an unpleasant development.
On the third day of the holiday, Europe celebrated nine European countries' joining the Schengen agreement, as follows: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta.
Europe is becoming like one country.
With this development, Europeans from 24 countries will be able to travel easily throughout Europe without a passport.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is working hard to block Turkey's accession to the European Union, said, `Borders from Sweden to Italy, from Portugal to the Baltic countries, are being lifted.'
Europe is completely closed off to Turkey.
The `Iron Curtain' of old between the capitalist and communist worlds has fallen anew between Turkey and Europe.
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I remember traveling from Turkey to London back in 1966. I was carrying not a single visa from any country . All the officials at border gates had to ask were: Hali? (Carpet?) ... Raki? (Spirits?) Just by saying `No,' I crossed all the border gates easily, like Europeans.
Now, four decades later, all the doors of the Europe have been closed to us, one by one.
This is the other side of the coin, and a shame for us.