TURKEY’S EU EXPERT IS CELEBRATING ITS 50^TH ANNIVERSARY 

At the occasion of IKV’s 50^th anniversary, a ceremony was hosted on the 9^th May 2015 by IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan and with the participation of the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır along with TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Presidents of IKV’s Founders, ISO Chairman Erdal Bahçıvan and ITO Chairman İbrahim Çağlar. The ceremony welcomed around 400 guests including representatives from the business world.

At the ceremony, IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan also shared the results of the public opinion survey commissioned by IKV. This survey considered to be the most comprehensive so far, aimed to shed light on the support given to Turkey’s EU membership and the perception of Europe by Turkish public opinion.

At the end of the ceremony, IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu presented a plaquet to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in memory of IKV’s 50th anniversary. President Erdoğan also gave a plaquet to former IKV Chairmen Jak Kamhi, Davut Ökütçü, Prof. Halûk Kabaalioğlu and to one of the Founding Members of IKV İbrahim Bodur.

 

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN:

"IKV IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTORS OF TURKEY'S EU JOURNEY"

President Erdoğan stressed on the importance of choosing this day since it’s the 65^th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration that laid the foundations of the European Peace Project and the 9 May Europe Day. President Erdoğan stressed that this programme and all other events that will be organized for IKV’s 50^th anniversary would help contribute to discuss comprehensively Turkey-EU relations. President Erdoğan said that IKV celebrating its 50^th anniversary is one of the most important actors of Turkey’s EU journey. While witnessing every stage in Turkey-EU relations with its crises as well as celebrations, IKV Members helped contribute to overcome obstacles with its informative activities aiming to raise awareness on this process among Turkish private sector and public.

"EU MEMBERSHIP IS STRATEGIC FOR TURKEY"

Expressing that IKV is one of the most significant actors of Turkey's EU journey, President Erdoğan stated that there has been 4 important turning points in this journey; the Ankara Agreement in 1963, the establishment of a Customs Union in 1996 and the confirmation of Turkey's candidacy for EU membership at Helsinki Summit in 1999. Voicing that the accession process has started 10 years ago, President Erdoğan explained that "14 chapters have been opened in the negotiation process that started in 2005. One of them, the 25^th chapter titled Science and Research has been provisionally closed. All other chapters, which should be opened, are blocked due to political reasons. We have been determined to maintain the negotiation process even with its ups and downs in the last 10 years. We, as Turkey, always express that we approach strategically to the EU membership. We are sorry to witness that the union does not adopt a united and consistent attitude while we maintain our determined stance."

“TURKEY IS A PART OF EUROPE AND ASIA”

Criticizing those, who obstruct the process by stating that "The EU is for the European Continent, Turkey is in minor Asia, Turkey should continue being a bridge between East and West," President Erdoğan underscored that Turkey is located in both Europe and Asia and reminded that there are EU members that are not located in Europe.

President Erdoğan also said: "There are chapters in accession negotiations which cannot be open because of political reasons. Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights is one of the blocked chapters and all of EU Member States that I visited agree to overcome this blockage. Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security is determined as the first chapter to open and the last one to close."

 “AFTER THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHY ENERGY CHAPTER IS STILL BLOCKED”

Emphasizing that the blocked chapters are the backbone of the accession process and they are directly related to the political reform process, President Erdoğan said the following:  “EU’s criticism directed at Turkey is mainly related to these chapters. On one hand they criticize Turkey; on the other hand they prevent Turkey’s integration to EU acquis by blocking these chapters. If you care about these chapters so much, open them immediately so that Turkey can realize a transformation in accordance with them. Moreover Chapter 17 on Economic and Monetary Policy, which does not have any opening criteria, cannot be opened to negotiations. We can also not understand why Chapter 15 on Energy is still blocked, although the negative effects of the Ukrainian crisis underlined the importance of cooperation the area of energy.”

President Erdoğan drew attention to the failure of Nabucco project, whereas the agreements were signed in Ankara, EU, who is the financially responsible partner, could not find the suppliers for the project.

“DIVERSIFICATION IS RICHNESS IN ENERGY”

Underscoring that Turkey has kept its promise in terms of transit, President Erdoğan explained the following: "They could not take the necessary steps in the Nabucco project. Afterwards, we took the necessary steps with TANAP. The construction is underway. We have completed the tender process. The construction vehicles have started working. There is another step developing right now:  the Turkish Stream. An EU member state said no to the South Stream Project. The Russian Federation proposed this to us. We said 'We believe diversification is richness in energy, we can talk' and we are talking."

 “IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE CHAPTER 31 CLOSED”

President Erdoğan, claimed that in a period of changing regional dynamics it is unacceptable not to open Chapter 31 on Foreign Security and Defence Policy to negotiations.  Reminding that almost all of the EU Member States are also NATO members, President Erdogan said the following: “We're together here; why do you prevent it? We should act together in solidarity. However, they still have difficulty making a decision. Such attitudes make us question whether the sincerity and the approach of the EU towards Turkey are pure."

"EU NEEDS TURKEY NOW MORE THAN EVER"

Expressing that Turkey's EU accession should be viewed differently in the light of the regional and international developments, President Erdoğan emphasized the following: "Turkey and the EU have to act together in the face of the developments in our region from Syria to Ukraine, from Middle East to North Africa. There is no other way. The EU needs Turkey now more than ever because of the effects of the global finance crisis and the fragility of its internal dynamics. Because Turkey is like a monument of security and peace with its economic performance and political stability despite being located in a turbulent geography where critical developments have taken place."

President Erdoğan mentioned that Turkey is able to continue its growth, its records in exports and vast investments in infrastructure despite the problems and conflict in its neighbours. President Erdoğan also stated that increase in industrial production in March by 4.7 percent supports the expectations on higher level of growth than anticipated.

"EU SHOULD FURTHER IMPROVE ITS RELATIONS WITH TURKEY INSTEAD OF EXCLUDING IT"

Stating that the EU continues to lose blood due to political turbulences and its introverted policies, President Erdoğan explained the following: "The Union needs to adopt a vision that befits its position as a global power. It needs to conduct the enlargement negotiations in a consistent, principled and fair way. Our goal for a new Turkey is not independent of the EU. We believe that we can achieve our goal for a new Turkey, which means more powerful, prosperous and democratic Turkey, faster through full accession to the EU. We have sustained the relations between Turkey and the EU so far based on a win-win strategy. We would like to continue with the same understanding. Turkey and the EU share a common ground in a wide array of areas ranging from foreign policy, economic and commercial relations, security and border management to employment and migration policies. The conflicts in our region require the EU to further improve its relations with turkey instead of excluding it. The security of the EU begins at our Eastern borders, not the Western ones. All members and bodies of the EU should understand this very well. Besides, Turkey is key to not only political but also economic stability of the EU.

“EU, THAT EXCLUDES TURKEY, CANNOT EVEN MAINTAIN ITS POSITION AS A REGIONAL POWER LET ALONE A GLOBAL ONE”

Declaring that he will later on tackle these difficulties they have faced in the accession process when writing a book, President Erdoğan stated that "Despite all these, the EU is still our biggest trade partner. %40 of our foreign trade is with the EU countries," thus expressing his belief that an EU, that excludes Turkey, cannot even maintain its position as a regional power let alone a global one.

“OUR NATION IS DETERMINING OUR EU VISION”

Indicating that it is the nation who determines Turkey’s perspective and roadmap in its relations with the EU, President Erdoğan explained that “We should not lose our self-confidence at this point. We have taken all our steps in line with the requests and demands of our nation. Similarly, we have undertaken the reforms based on the consent and approval of our nation. Our subsequent roadmap will certainly be drawn by our nation.” Stating that Turkey wants to move the negotiation process to a different level and pointing out that since 18 September 2014 a new vision has been put forward, President Erdoğan indicated that Turkey’s new EU strategy is based on three foundations namely; "determination in the political reform process", "continuity in socio-economic transformation" and "effectiveness in communication".

“WE NEED PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL”

Emphasizing that for the current impasse to be resolved to enable progress in the accession process the new vision should be adopted and owned by Turkey’s counterparts, President Erdoğan indicated that the relevant ministries as well as civil society organizations such as IKV have an important responsibility in this process.

Highlighting that IKV has been carrying out exemplary activities since 1965, President Erdoğan said: “We have greatly benefitted from these activities; today however, this support and these contributions need to be stepped up and pushed forward in a coordinated manner. An ambitious public diplomacy is needed. This should be at the international level, rather than the national level. We should be determined, enthusiastic and complete the process like this. We need to intensify our efforts within the framework of Turkey’s EU vision, ensuring that our European friends approach the issue from a healthier perspective. We cannot let old fears, hesitations, unproductive discussions and political ambitions of a few countries take our relations with the EU hostage. I trust and believe in you at this point. 12 years ago when we came to power, nearly no chapter was opened. We were at such a point. Despite that, we started a resistance. At that time, I mean 12 years ago, there were 15 members in the EU. Since then 13 new members have been admitted. But none of these 13 members can in no way compare to Turkey, in any respect. These countries were admitted to the EU based on political decisions and do not have what it takes to fulfil the requirements of the EU acquis. But we have, because we did not approach the issue from an angle of ‘being admitted or not being admitted’ we said ‘These are necessary and we should undertake them”.

 

MINISTER FOR EU AFFAIRS BOZKIR:

“VISA REQUIREMENTS TO TURKISH CITIZENS WILL BE REMOVED WITHIN TWO AND A HALF YEARS”

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır gave a speech at IKV’s 50^th anniversary ceremony. Reminding that in 2003 the European Court of Justice ruled in a decision that European Parliament’s decision on the 1915 events was not legally binding, Minister Bozkır underlined the following: “If such decisions of disturbing nature for Turkey continue to be issued, this will help neither Turkey-EU relations nor the European Parliament itself”.

“TURKEY’S AIM IS TO INCREASE ITS TRADE VOLUME TO 300 BILLION DOLLAR THROUGH THE CUSTOMS UNION”

Underlining the importance of the Customs Union for Turkey-EU relations, Minister Bozkır mentioned the decision to update the Customs Union in January 2016 to include agriculture, services and public procurement which would help increasing Turkey’s trade volume with the EU from 150 billion dollars to 300 billion dollars. Minister Bozkır also explained the following: “In the agreement reached 20 years ago, there are certain factors that might have been omitted or not yet realized. Indeed, in the event of the signature of a trade agreement by the EU with third countries, the agreement is not applied to Turkey automatically. We therefore hope to overcome this problem with the introduction of an article which will also for instance be applied in the case of the TTIP which is to be signed between the EU and the US”.

“VISA REQUIREMENTS TOWARDS TURKISH CITIZENS WILL BE REMOVED WITHIN TWO AND A HALF YEARS”

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Bozkır explained the problems encountered in regards to visa requirements applied towards Turkish citizens which, in fact, stems from the 1980 military intervention in Turkey. Underlining Turkey’s effort to remove the obstacles on visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, Minister Bozkır mentioned that the process is proceeding in the framework of an agreement. He further stated the following: “Visa requirements towards Turkish citizens will be removed within two and half years. If this does not happen, Turkey will suspend the Readmission Agreement that it has signed with Europe”.

 

TOBB CHAIRMAN HİSARCIKLIOĞLU:

“OUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE EU IS BASED UPON A WIN-WIN PERCEPTION”

At IKV’s 50^th anniversary ceremony, in his speech delivered on behalf of IKV’s Founders and Trustee Organizations, TOBB Chairman M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that as the Turkish business world, their perspective on the EU is based upon a win-win perception.

Stressing that democracy and citizens will gain with Turkey’s EU membership, TOBB Chairman M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu explained the following: “The young population and women will gain; employees will gain; craftsmen will gain; farmers will gain. In other words, all segments of the society will gain. Likewise, the EU will also gain. With Turkey’s membership, the EU will become economically and politically more powerful and dynamic.  By this means, the EU will ensure greater regional and global stability; world peace will gain”.

Reminding that IKV was established with this vision 50 years ago by the business community, TOBB Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that IKV embraced this vision and contributed to its developments.

“THE EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS REQUIRES COMPREHENSIVE REFORMS”

In his opening speech delivered on behalf of IKV’s founders and trustee organizations, TOBB Chairman M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu gave this following statement: “The EU membership process requires comprehensive reforms.  In the previous period, with the leadership of our President, Turkey has made significant steps in this field.  Important reforms have been conducted to enable Turkey in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria. Reforms were realized to ensure the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms as well as the functioning of a market economy”.

“Today, while many EU Member States are unable to comply with the Maastricht criteria, we fulfil to a large extent the criteria as a result of our comprehensive reforms carried out in the economic field. Nevertheless, it is without doubt that still important reforms in economic and political areas need to be implemented.  It is difficult to conduct reforms since it needs the large support and consensus of the public. In order to ensure this consensus, under the umbrella of IKV, a large number of joint events in Turkey and abroad with the aim of bringing together professional associations from various segments of society, trade union confederations and civil society organisations have been organized. Our President has also attended these events in the past”.

“We will pursue our efforts also in the future. Thursday, in Brussels, together with the chairman of EUROCHAMBRES, I met with the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. I explained him Turkey’s expectations in regard to Turkey’s EU negotiations process”.

“THE VISA LIBERALISATION DIALOGUE SHOULD BE COMPLETED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”

TOBB Chairman M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu called for the opening as soon as possible of the chapters on Energy, Economic and Monetary Policy, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights as well as on Justice, Freedom and Security. Furthermore, TOBB Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed that the opening of the following chapters would be beneficial for both Turkey and the EU. Furthermore, TOBB Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu also stressed the following:  “We have a visa problem. We should complete the visa liberalisation dialogue as soon as possible”.

“THE MODERNISATION OF THE CUSTOMS UNION IS IN OUR AGENDA”

TOBB Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu also pointed out that “The modernisation of the Customs Union is in our agenda. Our Prime Minister explained the latest developments in regard to this issue at the TOBB General Assembly held on the 2^nd May 2015. We are waiting for the negotiations to start in this area in a very short time. I would like to thank our Government for their decisive approach in that respect”.

“AS ALWAYS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP”

On the other hand, TOBB Chairman M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out to the importance for Turkey not to be left out of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations which are conducted between the EU and the USA. In this respect, TOBB Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the following: “We should work together in all of these topics. The new Parliament which will be formed after the general elections should focus on the EU accession process. The necessary reforms should be completed rapidly and with the participation and consensus of all parties. We should succeed in this endeavour for ourselves, regardless of the visionless, unjustified and unacceptable attitudes of some of the leaders of EU Member States. I believe that we will succeed. As always, we will continue to strive for Turkey’s EU membership”.

 

IKV CHAIRMAN VARDAN:

“IT IS TIME TO CROWN THIS PROCESS WITH MEMBERSHIP” 

In his speech delivered at IKV’s 50th anniversary ceremony, IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan stressed on these following issues:

“WE WOULD HAVE WISHED TO CELEBRATE THIS ANNIVERSAY WITH A TURKEY WHICH IS A EU MEMBER”

“Today we came together to celebrate our Foundation’s 50^th anniversary which was founded in 1965 by ISO and ITO and supported by all of its Trustee and Supporter organizations, especially by TOBB.”

“Today we are here to celebrate Turkey’s one of the deep-rooted and reputable think tank that pursued over the year to prepare recommendations and opinions, to publish book and magazines, to inform the public opinion through the organization of panels and seminars. On the one hand, we are proud of our Foundation because it is one of the few institutions that have managed to stand in Turkey.  But on the other hand, we deeply regret not being able to celebrate the 9 May Europe Day with Turkey as an EU Member State. We regret that all our efforts have not been compensated completely".

“WE CANNOT EVEN OPEN CHAPTERS TO NEGOTIATIONS”

 “Thanks to our President’s outstanding efforts and goal-oriented endeavors, Turkey’s EU journey in 2004 gained a more concrete and significant dimension perhaps in a way that our EU allies had never expected. And finally Turkey in 2005 started the accession negotiations.  For us, the fact we start the accession negotiation means accession to EU since according to EU’s own rules, so far there has not been a country that started the negotiations and not end up with membership. That is what the history showed us.

“While Turkey cannot even open chapters to negotiations as a result of some of the EU Member States’ veto, Croatia which started the accession negotiations at the same became the 28^th EU Member State. As our President underlines, the EU and some Member States have continuously aimed to “change the rules of the game at the last minute”. Turkey has been encountered with several problems with various reasons put forward by the EU leaders such as “absorption capacity”, “lack of reforms”, “Cyprus issue” and “privileged partnership”. In this period, the European Commission has published 17 Progress Reports on Turkey whose total page number is 1,789. If these reports are not enough to make Turkey a Member State of the EU, then the question is: How many more reports do we need in this process? Therefore, should the tone, method and the impacts of the Progress Reports be questioned. Both parties who chose the path to become partners should also act in good faith and in a result-oriented way to overcome the existing problems between them.”

“IF THE EU CARRIES OUT A SINCERE AND FAIR POLICY TOWARDS TURKEY, TURKEY WILL IN RETURN MAKE AN EQUIVALENT EFFORT”

IKV Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan continued his opening speech as follows:

“All these developments remind us again the phrase often used by elderly to describe a process that is “a long thin road”. The EU accession process for Turkey is also a long thin road. In this process, we encounter problems and try to overcome these obstacles. Yet, the one and only expectation we have in this process is for Turkey to be treated in a democratic and fair way the EU is defending and on which it is itself built on.”

“We surely believe that, if the EU applies a sincere and fair policy towards Turkey, Turkey will make an equivalent effort in return.”

“TURKEY IS THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTRY OF THE REGION”

“The process, which was initiated by the then Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes in 1959 and was started in 1963 with the Ankara Agreement should have been completed even years before. Today, Turkey is different than it used to be in 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. In fact, it is not similar to Turkey even in the beginning of 2000s. Currently, Turkey is a country which continues to have a stable growing trend better than most of the EU countries with a young and dynamic population. Together with increasing investments and further projects to be conducted, Turkey will be the fastest growing country of the region.”

“THESE TWO ECONOMICALLY INTEGRATED PARTNERS SHOULD ACT TOGETHER”

Underlining the importance of the EU for Turkish business community, IKV Chairman Vardan reminded that the EU accounts for almost half of Turkey’s exports and 70% of the investments to Turkey are made by business people from EU Member States.  IKV Chairman Vardan further added:

 “Is it possible to declare that the EU is not important for Turkey? Yet, we would like to see these two economically integrated partners to act together. Further, we believe that we have right to expect such relationship between Turkey and the EU. Integration between two parties should not be obstructed visa and quota requirements. While European businessmen and citizens can travel Turkey and sell their products, Turkish citizens encounter numerous problems because of the visa procedures during the application process. We do not wish to queue and to share personal and professional information during this process. Furthermore this process reveals to be costly and time consuming. Once we succeed in sending our products despite all these difficulties, we do not want to deal this time with quota problems while transferring goods produced in Turkey. Moreover, considering that Turkey and EU established a Customs Union since 1996, we do not want to be left out of the FTAs signed by EU with third countries especially the TTIP.”

“61% OF THE TURKISH CITIZENS IS IN FAVOUR OF EU MEMBERSHIP”

IKV Chairman Vardan in his speech announced the results of the public opinion survey commissioned by IKV and stated the following:

“Besides the perspective of Turkish business people, we, as IKV, have conducted a public opinion survey in 18 provinces in Turkey with a participation of 2500 citizens”.

“With this public opinion survey, we first wanted to understand the level of support to EU membership of the Turkish public opinion. According to the result of the survey, 61% of the Turkish citizens are supporting Turkey’s EU membership. As we all remember, this rate decreased to 30%. In this respect, the increase of this share is encouraging. Nevertheless, only 30% of the participants to the survey believe that Turkey will become a Member State of the EU in the near future. This means that the 70% do not believe that Turkey will become Member State of the EU in a short period of time.”

“THE LEVEL OF KNOWDLEGDE OF THE EU IS VERY LOW IN TURKEY”

IKV Chairman Vardan pointed out to another striking result of the survey concerning the level of knowledge of the EU in Turkey, and stated the following:

“It is important and surprising to see that the level of knowledge on the EU in Turkey is really low despite the 56-year-long relationship between Turkey and the EU. While 4 out of 5 persons that participated in the public opinion survey have stated that they have heard of the EU before, 85% of participants declared that they have “none” or “little” knowledge of the EU. This is a clear indication that we need to pursue our informative activities or the civil society, the media and educational institutions.”

“IT IS TIME TO CROWN THIS PROCESS WITH THE MEMBERSHIP” 

IKV Chairman Vardan stated that for the Turkish public, the EU is mostly referred to economic welfare, free movement and democracy. IKV Chairman further pursued as follows: “Our expectation from the EU membership is in line with these results. The EU remains an important goal for Turkey. Therefore, it is the time to end this process by crowning Turkey with EU membership.”

“WE BELIEVE THAT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP WOULD BE A SUCCESS STORY FOR THE EU”

IKV Chairman Vardan also stated that they believe Turkey’s EU membership would be a success story for the EU. IKV Chairman Vardan also added the following:

“The success will not be only in economic terms. The EU, which is a “peace project” at the same time, will regain its founding principles when it integrates with Turkey whose population mostly consists of Muslims. Thus, an important peace message will be given to the rest of the world which is full of conflicts currently. Therefore, we believe that this process should not be given up to non-credible political purposes with no connection to the historical truths. As a conclusion, Turkey with its current level of development will not be a burden on the EU; in contrast, it will relieve the burden on the EU.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO OUR FOUNDERS, TRUSTEES AND SUPPORTERS”

Lastly, IKV Chairman Vardan expressed his gratitude to IKV’s Founders, ISO and ITO; to all our trustee and supporter organizations especially TOBB, to IKV’s former Chairmen and Members of the Board of Directors and to all IKV teams who have contributed to IKV. Chairman Vardan also presented his best wishes to Turkey with the general elections that will be held in June.