“EPP DID NOT KEEP ITS PROMISE” SAID BAGIS

Having Lars Wahlund, Ambassador of Sweden to Ankara, in his office, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis answered the questions of journalists on the agenda.

Minister Bagis also evaluated the discussions on the participation of AK Party to the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists upon leaving from European People’s Party named also as “Christian Democrats” group in the European Parliament.

Bagis, reminding that AK Party was asked to join to EPP in 2002 after it had come into power, indicated that in its written invitation EPP had declared that AK Party would be upgraded with the status of associated membership after a year having observatory status.

Bagis said “However, after a while, EPP did not keep its promise that it made in its written declaration. It did not upgrade the observatory status of AK Party to associated membership and it did not even start the procedure which would submit the upgrade issue to the member parties.”

Bagis, saying that AK Party warned the union and discussed the issue with Angela Merkel, the Prime Minister of Germany, and with Nicolas Sarkozy, the former President of France, with the thought that they might have had objections, indicated that no one had taken the responsibility. Minister Bagis, pointing that in this process, invitations for membership from both Liberal Groups in the European Parliament and Socialist International were received by AK Party, said also the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists established by those who had left EPP got in contact with them.

Minister Bagis, stating that they evaluated the issue within the party, noted “This indecisive attitude of EPP can no longer be accepted. AK Party decided to leave the union, finalize its observatory status and join to the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists as a full member.”

Bagis, underlining that this decision was completely a political preference, said “It is the most democratic and natural right of them to discuss this decision in the European Parliament. However, if they look for someone responsible for this, they should question the EPP executives and members who kept AK Party in the observatory status for 10 years since 2003 in a way it did not deserve, and who did not keep their promises on associated membership as it was stated in the written declaration.”

Minister Bagis, saying that everybody had to have a lesson learned from this situation, indicated “None of the institutions of Turkey; neither its political parties, its NGOs, nor its academic environment and Government can be kept waiting. Everybody will receive the underlying message also in Europe.”