EGEMEN BAGIS EVALUATES TURKEY-EU RELATIONS

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis gave a special interview to Haberturk Television and answered the questions on Turkey-EU relations and the agenda.

Speaking about the Positive Agenda Process, Bagis said: “In this process, we established working groups in charge of 8 different Chapters and concentrated our efforts on the works which will pave the way for visa exemption, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and employment of Turkish citizens in the European Commission.

Minister Bagis emphasized that the relations continued more actively than it was in the negotiation process and Turkey did not address itself to the Presidency. He said: “We continue to work and repeat our motto ‘don’t give up, continue to make reforms’. We are not but their neighbour Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is their addressee. They ask for help from Ireland for presidency; that is not necessary, TRNC can provide them the necessary support.”

Bagis emphasized that Turkey had been making efforts to get visa exemption for 30 years and said that 27 EU member states authorized the European Commission to initiate the visa exemption negotiations with Turkey. Bagis underlined that the Commission was working on the Action Plan which would be implemented in the negotiations. He said: “75 million Turkish citizens will be able to go to the EU countries just with their passports but without any visa. The states which started to negotiations for visa exemption came through in 3-4 years. We hope Turkey also will achieve to have visa exemption as soon as possible.”

Bagis continued as follows:

“Although there are some states that are still reluctant to Turkey’s accession to the EU, some other circles began to realize the importance of Turkey. The EU project is ultimately important in terms of raising the standards and welfare level in the country, developing democracy and making Turkey a country where all the citizens live in peace. We shall continue the project and our people will determine when the time comes whether Turkey will be a EU member state or not.”

Speaking also about Syria, Bagis said: “There is no chance for someone who damages his own country, tortures his own people and whom I call “the Devil of Damascus” to stay in government so long. Even the states which supported Esed make plans today for a Syria without Esed in government. Sooner or later this violence will come to an end and we hope that happens as soon as possible. We also hope that Syrians achieve the ideal of having a transparent and democratic country and we continue to live in peace with our neighbours.”