BY BERIL DEDEOGLU
AKSAM- While the Ergenekon probe and the inauguration of new US President Barrack Obama continue to make headlines, it seems as if Turkey's European Union membership process, which is expected to be accelerated, has again fallen into the background.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to the EU capital Brussels last week for the first time in four years. The main aim of his visit was demonstrating Turkey's determination to join the EU both to the European and Turkish publics. Along these lines, the probable culprits for the slowdown in Turkey's reform process were explained. Although not every social sector in Europe is interested in what's going on in Turkey, many people in important places care about the slowdown and political and legal tensions in Turkey. Thus it's likely that the Turkish delegation said in Brussels that developments connected to the Ergenekon probe are related to the reform process, because the trials and debate over them might help prepare the groundwork for future reforms. Moreover, small but meaningful steps such as TRT's starting broadcasting in Kurdish have been taken. The Turkish delegation told EU officials that it would continue the reform process, with or without the EU, and continue efforts for democratization and the rule of law. In other words, Erdogan touted the image of a country where this can happen, despite EU hurdles.
It was made quite clear that Turkey is getting angry about these EU hurdles. The EU deserves this, as a number of chapters in our talks have been held back for purely political reasons, not membership criteria.
Nor is this the first time such concerns have been mentioned. All the institutions, both civilian and official, which operate as part of the Turkish-EU relations have been mentioning them. But this has led nowhere. Erdogan's reproach was as a warning that Europe might have to pay the real price for these distractions and delays. As for the issue of energy safety and sustainable development vis-a-vis the Nabucco project, the EU is dependent on Russia, which is using this to its advantage. Obama's ascent in the US also indicates the quest for an international system which is not exclusive, but inclusive. The EU's lack of a unified stance on Gaza was mentioned along these lines.
The content of these speeches and messages is actually based on Turkey's declaration that it won't accept anything less than full EU membership. Thus Turkey forced the EU to make a decision not in principle, but politically, as now is the time for the EU to make a historic choice. Let's hope such visits will continue.