HURRIYET- Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on Turkey’s efforts to become a member of the European Union. A summary of his column is as follows:
There’s no use trying to force a person who doesn’t want to recognize your efforts. However, one still shouldn’t give up. Turkey should do this in the case of certain European Union leaders who insist on refusing to see Turkey’s realities. We should tell them that our realities should be sought in modern Turkey which aims to be united with modern civilization, not in the places where they cast about for defects. Actually if these leaders had wanted to see modern Turkey, it would have been enough for them to merely glance at a number of convincing and concrete proofs. For example, do they consider it as a defect that Turkey is a society which has adopted Islam? There are 1.5 billion Muslim people worldwide, and over 50 countries have a majority Muslim population. Those who are curious can compare Turkey with these 50-odd countries. Do any of them have secularism? Do any of them enjoy democracy? Do any of them discuss the concepts of human rights and the rule of law and produce solutions as much as happens in Turkey? Can any of them hold free and fair elections? How many of them have carried through revolutions in the alphabet or in language, clothes, the law, women and culture? How many of them have been successful? What is the situation in Turkey? Let’s leave aside for now the Muslim-majority countries. Can those who say ‘It’s not yet time for Turkey,’ for example, the French, German and Danish and if any, the others, also say that Turkey is less developed than themselves in terms of women’s active role in their professional and cultural lives? They can’t say this, because the situation of active Turkish women is much better than the situation in their countries. It’s true that our economic numbers are worse than theirs. We have certain lacking aspects in terms of the rule of law, and freedom of expression in Turkey in practice is less developed than Europe’s standards. Our standards of health and education are also low. However, if these were the real reasons, then neither Portugal, nor Ireland and Spain could have become EU members. Let’s speak plainly and emphasize with pride that Turkey, which is waiting for its date to start final negotiations, has been trying hard since the beginning of the 19th century in order to reach this situation. Turkey is the country which managed to carry out the most successful and radical cultural revolution in the history of humanity. Turkey is greatly determined to unite with modern Western civilization. Nobody can hold back such a nation.

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