BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- As in all European countries, the Euro 2008 championship made headlines here for weeks. A critical case against the ruling party, which could determine the country's political future, was by comparison a second-rate story.
Last night our national football team played against Germany in a semifinal in Basel, Switzerland, but I'm writing this column before the game. It will be a landmark match, and it will definitely help relations between the two countries.
Germany has Europe's largest economy. Together with Russia, it's one of the two European countries with larger populations than Turkey. Under the previous Social Democratic rule - like today's Britain, Italy and Spain - Germany wholly supported Turkey's European Union membership. On the other hand, the Christian Democrats came to the power with reservations about Turkey's membership.
But in Germany, there's no open opposition to Turkey, unlike France and Austria. Some 3 million Turks, half of them German citizens, currently live there. In addition, Germany has extensive economic ties with Turkey
In any case, last night's football match will warm up our bilateral relations. It will cast a spotlight on Turkey. The match will be unforgettable and a rare example of sports affecting political ties. I heartily congratulate our national team on its great energy and skill, even though it has - somehow - nine disabled players.