ISTANBUL (AA) - United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Chairman Kemal Dervis has indicated on Friday that the 2001 crisis was not one about throwing a book. ''The 2001 crisis, unfortunately, was prepared in the 1990s,'' said Dervis.
Dervis participated in a meeting on ''EU Negotiation Process: What Kind of a Road Map?'' and sponsored by Forum Istanbul 2005.
He stated that as far as development is concerned, Turkey ranks 88th in the world. ''The 1990s have been lost for Turkey due to wrong economic and social policies and excessively short term political plans,'' commented Dervis.
According to Dervis, Turkey has shown a positive trend in development since the 1950s. ''The growth got hurt in the 1990s. However, Turkey got back on the right track after 2002 when reforms were started,'' mentioned Dervis.
Dervis expressed that politics require long-term planning and perspective. ''The EU is in an evolution. We want to get on the train that sometimes moves and sometimes slows. Whatever the train's speed may be, as Turks, we have to get on the EU train,'' stressed Dervis.
Dervis pointed out that there is a strong resistance in the EU against Turkey's membership. ''The matter is not one between Turkey and EU. The struggle is between progressive, modern, contemporary forces and backward, extremely conservative circles,'' noted Dervis.
Dervis said that the topic that will make Turkey's job tougher in the EU is economics. ''If Turkey can sustain an annual growth rate of 7-8 percent in the next 5-6 years; finds a solution to unemployment; creates more jobs and make available incentives for foreign investors, then it would be welcome in the EU,'' added Dervis.
Meanwhile, Forum Istanbul's CEO Yavuz Canevi presented Kemal Dervis with the First Forum Istanbul National Honor Award.
(SOL-ULG)
2005-05-06