THE VISA SHAME SHOULD COME TO AN END

Visiting Berlin to make some contacts, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that Europe should put an end to the shameful visa requirements against Turkish citizens.

Bagis attended the ceremony in which former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schöder was decorated with the "Medal of Tarabya" by the Turkish-German Friendship Association for his contributions to Turkey-German relations.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Bagis addressed the visa problem and said the following:

"We want Europeans to protect their benefits. We want them to see this relationship as based on a win-win strategy. We expect more support from Europeans in the field of counter terrorism. While the citizens of countries that have not yet started accession negotiations for the membership of the EU, can easily enter Europe without visa, I want to mention that it is an inequality for the citizens of such a country that has wanted to become an EU member for 51 years and continued negotiations decisively, to wait in the queues for the visa. The moment that my citizens feel themselves the least European is the moment when they get stuck in the visa lines. Visa shame should come to an end."

Bagis, in the scope of the Germany visit, came together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Guido Westerwelle, Undersecretary of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Werner Hoyer, the EU president of German Federal Parliament Gunther Krichbaum, chairperson of Social Democrat Party Sigmar Gabriel and other German authorities.

Bagis said "EU is the most extensive peace project of the world" and he continued that even if most of the countries in the Europe had fought against each other, they become together in the scope of this project and there is no reason for not applying the same for the Turkey.

Source: AA