Article
Europe and Turkey

By Murat Acemoglu, M.D.

On December 13, 1999, the Helsinki European Council decided to grant Turkey the status of an applicant country for accession to the European Union (EU) and, in accordance with the Copenhagen Criteria, put forward certain recommendations and requirements. However, the Council made it clear that accession negotiations cannot begin until Turkey complies with the "Copenhagen Criteria" which reflects "European Shared Values."

Those "Shared Values" are the basic principles in every civilized society where democratically elected governments protect and secure its own citizens' fundamental universal rights, such as tolerance for other religions, cultures and minorities, the protection of human rights and democracy. A list of priority items that European countries are asking from Ankara to comply with includes granting cultural rights to the Kurds, abolishing penal codes for allowing imprisonment of political dissidents, and eliminating military intervention in courts and political life.


EU'S DEMANDS ON TURKEY

In order for an independent judiciary to be established in Turkey, European nations are asking Turkey to abolish the notorious "State Security Courts" controlled by the military, and to lift the "State of Emergency" in the Kurdish region of Turkey. As a goodwill gesture, Europe demands the release of the imprisoned former Turkish parliament member of Kurdish origin Leyla Zeyna, winner of the European Parliament Sakharov Prize.

The EU calls on Turkey to strengthen civil society, consolidate the democratic system and support of free and independent media. The EU proposes to set up discussion forums, which consist of eminent politicians from the European Union and Turkey, as well as representatives of civil society. The EU also requires each member country to resolve any outstanding disputes with neighboring states via peaceful means. The EU calls on the Turkish government to improve its relations with all neighbors in the Caucasus and, in particular, with Armenia, within the framework of a "Stability Pact" in the region. The EU calls on Ankara to withdraw its occupation forces from Cyprus, and sort out its quarrels with Greece in the Aegean dispute and stop violating the Iraqi border on the pretext of pursuing Kurdish insurgents.

When the Turks wanted to be part of Europe, they had different agendas. With a projected population of 100 million in thirty-five years and a rapidly expanding but a problem-ridden economy, Turkey needs new markets for their textiles, agricultural and industrial products; therefore, they want to be part of the European Custom Union Pact. Turkey also has high inflation and an increasing dreadful unemployment rate; therefore, it wants to export its workers to Europe in order to deflate social tension at home. Per-capita income in the Turkish household is about $3,000 a year, whereas it is $12-15,000 in Israel, Greece and Cyprus, and $22,000 in the EU countries.


WHAT TURKEY WANTS OUT OF EU

Turkey wants to be part of a group which formulates policies and makes decisions within the framework of institutions involved in "Common Foreign Policy" and "European Security and Defense Policy," in order to control it or channel it or make it more suitable for their national security and foreign policy needs.

For this, they are proposing to deploy 6,000 Turkish troops under proposed European Security Forces. Turks took great satisfaction when they sent their troops to the former Yugoslavia to protect Muslim Bosnians and Albanians against the historically inimical Christian Serbs and underscored their victory against Slavs (including Russians.)

Is Europe prepared to accept Turkey?

Yalcin Simsel, in the Turkish Daily on 11/22/00, reports, "Turkey has little chance of EU membership." He adds, "With the population bordering on 70 million, a fearsome unemployment rate, unfair distribution of income, an unstable political system, an undeveloped democracy, a low level of education and poor population, Turkey would only be a hunch on the back of the EU." What former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt said in his latest book, Die Selbstbehauptung Europas, Perspektiven fuer das 21 Jahrhundert" (The Self-Assertion of Europe, Prospects for the 21st Century), published in Berlin as reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur on 11/02/00, supports this argument. The former chancellor stated, "Turkey should be barred from joining the European Union; given its great cultural differences and geographical concerns I must recommend against taking Turkey into the European Union." Helmut Schmidt lists a series of reasons for not admitting Turkey to the 15-nation European Union. He cites its large population, Islamic religion, cultural differences, disputes with neighboring states, human-rights violations, lack of democracy, poor state of economy, etc. as reasons, and he continues, "It would be both a mistake and dishonest of EU leaders to make Turkey a candidate."


GUNDUZ AKTAN'S VIEW

Gunduz Aktan, in Turkish Daily News on 11/21/00, makes the following observations. "The European Parliament may be an assembly with limited powers, but that doesn't change the fact that it represents the European public's opinion and conscience, and the public's views are of utmost importance for a candidate country (Turkey) during the accession process." Then this seasoned diplomat reaches the following conclusion: "The European Parliament has declared, for the second time (1987 and 2000) that we subjected Armenians to genocide. Yet the European Parliament decision, taken in a coordinated manner with the French and Italian Parliaments' similar moves, is extremely serious. Turks are being portrayed as a nation guilty of genocide. We cannot possibly ignore that."

Is the European Parliament using the Armenian, Kurdish, Cypriot and Greek factors as a pretext to bar Turkey's ascension to the European Union for political consideration, or is the EU genuinely concerned with the Turks' attitude and wants Turkey to meet the qualifications set forth by the "Copenhagen Criteria"? According to Turkish diplomat Gunduz Aktan, "This decision indicates the profoundness of the prejudices against Turkey in EU countries, and this determines the EU stance regarding human rights, democracy, Kurdish, Cypriot and Aegean problems." It is ironic that even the most Western-oriented Turkish intellectuals are ready to charge others with prejudice yet miserably all fail to recognize their own shortcomings. This space is too small to go into the details of those deficiencies.


RECENT ARMENIAN GAINS

According to foreign policy officials in Ankara, the foreign policy course of Armenian President Robert Kocharian received "an actual blessing" from Roman Pope John Paul II when the Latin Church recognized the Armenian Genocide. They further stated, "In light of the recent resolutions of the French Senate and Italian parliament, Pope John Paul II's statement was interpreted by the majority of experts as the beginning of a chain reaction capable of converting the Armenian problem into one of the actual problems of international relations."

Ilnur Cevik, in TDK's 11/20/00 issue, goes even further: "The Armenian lobby is achieving its goal of antagonizing and frustrating Turkey and, if possible, alienating the Turkish public (from EU) and thus isolating our country." Some poorly informed Armenians are dropping their guard and looking for alternatives other than the Armenian Genocide Recognition to reconcile with Turks, without appreciating the impact of the Armenian Genocide Resolutions on Turkish academia, foreign policy establishments and public opinion. The Turkish public is better informed now than before the Armenian Genocide Resolution was brought to a Congressional hearing; in fact, quite a few Turkish intellectuals are expressing their reservations about longstanding official lines, and policy makers are looking for alternatives to improve their image in Europe and struggling to present their version of history.

The Armenian Assembly of America, under the leadership of Van Krikorian, Aram Kaloosdian and Ross Vartian, and ANCA under the tireless efforts of Aram Hamparian, Elizabeth Chouldjian and Christopher Hekimian, are doing tremendous work, of which all can be proud. They are not only serving the Armenian national cause, but they are also preparing the ground to conduct a meaningful dialogue between Turks and Armenians since, with the recent Armenian successes,


TURNING THE TABLES ON TURKEY

The Turks are now realizing that the Armenian issue is a serious one that they cannot afford to ignore. They are now gradually conceding that denials, distortions and falsifications or use of threats didn't yield the desirable effect. On the contrary, the Armenian Genocide issue is now being used against Turkey, to force them to accept criteria set by the EU if they want to be an integral part of the civilized world community. In fact, through their demands, the Armenians are indirectly helping the Turks to reform their society, and grant academic and journalistic freedom to their intellectuals so they can freely discuss their deficiencies.

Despite these positive developments, there are also recent ominous developments in Turkey that one cannot ignore. According to the Armenian Genocide Research Center (AGRC), the Turkish daily Akit is attacking Judge Naci Unver and his three colleagues for overruling the Prosecutor of the Fifth State Security Court decision to ban the publication of Vahakn Dadrian's book under the title of "Genocide as Problem of National and International Law."

According to AGRC, "Judge Naci Unver and his three colleagues are now accused of endorsing charges of mass murder made in the book. The accusers are claiming that the three judges, in contrast to their two other colleagues, used ideological criteria in their deliberations, instead of relying on legal standards."

The recently proposed Turkish Penal Code, Article 359, which will treat the use of the phrase "Armenian Genocide" as a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, and the above-mentioned harassment of brave Turkish judges proves that the Turkish Generals, the real rulers of Turkey, are still having difficulty understanding that they have to comply with the "Copenhagen Criteria" if they want Turkey to be integrated into the EU.

Individuals or organizations interested in participating in the solution of the Armenian Cause (Hay Tadh) should rally around the credible Armenian lobbyist organizations -- the AAA and ANCA -- for their guidance and give their utmost financial and moral support to ANI (Armenian National Institute), Zoryan Institute and AGRC (Armenian Genocide Resource Center). In order to establish a credible dialogue with the Turks in the future, Armenians should be well prepared under the guidance of professional organizations already known for their experience and reputation.

Newtonville, NY