ISTANBUL - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday that they believed that Turkey fulfilled Copenhagen criteria.
Gul stressed that if a subjective decision was taken, the European Union (EU) would also suffer from its results.
Gul delivered a speech at the closure session of ''Istanbul Pan-Atlantic Student Summit'' at Koc University in Istanbul.
Replying to a question on Turkey's EU membership, Gul said that Turkey's accession to the EU was an important issue. He stressed that it was of great importance both for EU countries and also Turkey.
Stating that Turkey was a powerful country with its culture, religion, population and economy, he recalled that Turkey's EU process started in 1963. He added that some circles tried to put Turkey in the same category with Baltic and East European countries which became member of the EU recently.
Gul said that Turkey's EU process covered more than 40 years, stating that there was also Customs Union between Turkey and the EU for nearly ten years. Gul noted that its customs with France, Germany and Britain was lifted.
Stressing that some countries which joined the EU lately started to have relation of Customs Union with EU recently, Gul recalled that EU also took a decision in the summit in 2002 on setting a date to open membership negotiations with Turkey at the end of 2004.
Abdullah Gul said that this decision also pointed to EU Commission's progress report's being positive, stressing that progress report that would be announced in October was very important in that respect.
Gul noted that former Turkish governments and their government took very significant steps for fulfillment of EU criteria, stating that many European officials described their government as ''reformist government''.
''We believe that Turkey fulfilled Copenhagen criteria. But democratization process in Turkey did not stop. Democratization process will continue. I am sure that EU Commission will determine this situation in an objective and honest way. The Commission will put its determination to the report to be announced in October. I believe that Turkey will be treated as other countries. Turkey fulfilled required conditions of the club that it would like to join,'' he noted.
If a subjective decision was taken, the EU would also suffer from its results and it would lose its persuasiveness, Gul said.
Stating that EU countries saw Turkey's capacity, affluence, importance, modernity and values during NATO Summit in Istanbul, Gul said that he presumed that such an opportunity would not be missed in a subjective way.
Noting that a negative decision by the EU on Turkey would cause strong reaction, Gul said that Turkish would thought that the EU would not accept Turkey's accession despite all efforts of the Turkish government, adding that but he did not see likely such a situation might happen.
Gul said that Turkey would fulfil its responsibilities, but also the EU should fulfil its own responsibilities.
When a student asked, ''you have said Turkey is a powerful country. Turkey's EU membership shakes balance of powers. Do European countries allow this to happen?'' Gul said that Turkey was a big and powerful country in terms of population, culture and economy, stressing that Turkey could not be compared to newly joined EU members.
''It is supposed that stake of other countries in the cake gets smaller when Turkey joins the EU. However, it is absolutely not going to happen this way. Turkey makes this cake bigger. Turkey's capacity enlarges the EU's cake. And we take our share in this growing cake. Meanwhile, also other countries will take their share from this cake. Turkish economy's contribution will absolutely be positive if Turkey joins the EU. Turkey brings dynamism to the EU with its young population,'' he said.
Recalling that nearly two million Turkish citizens were living in European countries, but most of them had not submitted a petition for naturalization, Gul said, ''because those Turkish citizens want to return to Turkey. When Turkey joins the EU, many Turkish citizens to Turkey will start to return home.''
Asked what he thought about the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision on Islamic-style headscarf, Gul said that he would make a statement on the issue when he returns to Ankara.
ECHR ruled on Tuesday that Turkish state universities had the right to ban the headscarf.
Replying to another question, Gul thanked non-governmental organizations for holding democratic and peaceful demonstrations which caused release of three Turkish workers who had been kidnapped in Iraq.
(EÖ-MS-AÖ) 30.06.2004