EU membership issues central in talks between Foreign Minister Stubb and Foreign Minister Babacan
Finland considers continuation of negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU important and is confident that with reforms carried out in the country, Turkey will in time accede to full membership of the EU, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said at the joint press conference held with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan of Turkey during the Turkish minister’s visit to Finland on Monday, 12 May. Foreign Minister Babacan expressed his country’s appreciation for Finland’s stance thus far in negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU.
According to Foreign Minister Babacan, the EU has changed a lot since negotiations with Turkey were launched in 2005. Enlargement to a union of 27 Member States and the institutional reform initiated by the Lisbon Treaty are the clearest examples of these changes. In Foreign Minister Babacan’s opinion, the question to ask is when the EU would be ready for Turkey’s accession to membership rather than when Turkey would be ready to join.
Foreign Minister Stubb stated that although issues of this kind often proceed on the basis of a specific timetable, strict deadlines will be set only when the process has advanced further. The negotiations have not reached that stage yet, but it is indisputable that the goal is full membership for Turkey.
Economic relations developing rapidly
Foreign Minister Babacan described Finnish and Turkish bilateral relations as excellent.
Foreign Minister Stubb, in turn, praised the development of bilateral trade relations between Finland and Turkey, and pointed out that last year alone saw a 20 per cent increase in trade between the two countries.
Questions presented on Turkey’s actions in Northern Iraq
At the press conference, questions were presented concerning the Turkish views of, among others, the situation in Cyprus and Turkish military operations in Northern Iraq. With regard to Cyprus, both ministers felt that there is a now a sense of optimism about solving the island’s division.
With regard to Iraq, Foreign Minister Babacan stressed emphatically that Turkey has no problem with the people of Iraq, but that the problem is the terrorists in Iraqi territory, i.e. the guerrillas of the PKK.
Babacan pointed out that the PKK is officially listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU, NATO and the United States. He stated that efforts to combat the PKK will be made in many ways on the basis of long-range plans until the organisation’s terrorist activities cease.
The foreign ministers mentioned that they had also discussed, among other issues, the situations in Lebanon and Georgia.
During the morning of his visit to Finland, Foreign Minister Babacan had met with MP Erkki Tuomioja, Chairman of the Parliament’s Grand Committee, and in the afternoon he had a meeting with President Tarja Halonen. In addition, Babacan had a meeting with Sauli Niinistö, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament.