How Is Our Case Different?

SABAH- Columnist Okay Gonensin asks questions about Turkey’s relations with the EU. A summary of his column is as follows:
In the dispute over our entering the EU, those who say ‘yes, but... are trying hard to find new evidence to resist the reshaping of Turkey’s economic, legal and administrative structure in line with the most advanced principles. It is impossible for them to find new proof, as history and recent events are clear in our memories. Not only the strides forward achieved by the EU member countries but the improvement of the 12 candidate countries over the last few years can be seen clearly, while the backward trend in Turkey is also obvious. A campaign based on fear and intimidation is being waged. The main factor of this intimidation is that Turkey has enemies within, and they are reactionaryism and separatism. These two pose the greatest threat for Turkey. Turkey is also surrounded by enemies. All Turkey’s neighbors are enemies of Turkey. Furthermore, the Armenian and Greek lobbies are continuing their hostile campaigns against Turkey. Now this is not a policy pursued for the good of Turkey or the Turkish people, but just a paranoia. This is not a situation peculiar to Turkey. However, it hampers the activities of the state, as in Turkey. For example, during the communist regime in Bulgaria, there was such a paranoia regarding the Turkish minority. The Turkish minority was being oppressed as it was believed that it posed a danger to Bulgarian security. This paranoia period ended, Bulgaria agreed on advanced democracy principles, Turks obtained all their rights, and everything returned to normal. Today Bulgaria is preparing to enter the EU with all its citizens and completing its economic initiatives. In the 1980s it was believed that Spain had moved too fast on the road to democracy and that the country was going to be divided. But now for a very long time there has been no dispute over democracy in Spain. The separatist Basque organization’s terrorist wing ETA has diminished to a marginal position. France is continuing to solve the Corsican issue. However, no one in France is saying that they are different and therefore asking for special rules. The conditions of every society are peculiar to itself. During World War II, the countries of Europe fought against each other. Now France and Germany have solved or buried all their problems. If Turkey is hooked on the paranoia of ‘my enemies within are strong, I am surrounded by foes, my opponents are spread all over the world, our per capita income will never exceed $2,000.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION