TURKEY WILL BOOST THE EU

The opening of "SME Cooperation and Clustering Project" aiming to increase the international competition power of the firms in the provinces within the scope of the Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme was held with the participation of Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis and Minister of Economy Zafer Caglayan.

Delivering a speech at the meeting held in Ankara Hilton Hotel, Minister for EU Affairs Bagis stated that "clustering" was one of the most important instruments for supporting the business world and spirit of entrepreneurship. Indicating that the concept of clustering was one of the key concepts of the 21st century, Bagis said that clustering was the most important key to regular monitoring of an efficient production having an added value, university- industry cooperation, innovation performance and technological developments.

Noting that one of the most important political clustering examples of the age was the European Union itself and reminding Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's remarks during 1920s on the necessity of establishment of the Balkan Union for peace and this transformed into a Union in Europe, Minister for EU Affairs Bagis stated that European Union also actually set a good example of clustering with the powers coming together.

Bagis said:

"However today we observe that some narrow-minded politicians who fail to have this example of clustering reach the level it deserves also harm the EU. Unfortunately today we also see examples of how this same European Union disrupts this successful clustering due to its member countries which go beyond the understanding of clustering and which do not have any sense of unity and solidarity. As we always say, an EU which got itself bogged down in racism and got away from its values, which is guided by certain countries and whose economy is in dire straits can't be freed from being referred as an unsuccessful clustering. Turkey is the only way it becomes freed of it. The thing which will boost this clustering again and restrengthen the European Union is Turkey's membership.

Source:AA