"THE MORE ENTREPRENEURS WE HAVE IN EUROPE, THE EASIER BECOMES THE EU PROCESS"

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis attended the press conference in Berlin, the capital of Germany, where the final declaration of the 1st Congress of Europe Young Entrepreneurs which was organized by the Youth Branch of the Independent Industrialists & Businessmen's Association (MÜSİAD) was issued.

In his statement there, Bagis said that SMEs, or "Anatolian Tigers" as called by many, stood behind the success of Turkey in being the 15th biggest economy in the world and the 6th biggest economy in Europe.

Noting that this entrepreneurship effort should not be limited to Germany and it should be extended to Europe as well, Bagis requested for helding a more comprehensive meeting in the next year and transforming this movement into a European tradition.

Bagis also attended gala dinner at the end of the Congress and in his speech there he said, "We must conclude Turkey-EU relations with membership, in line with hopes and big ideals and not on the basis of fears or worries".

Bagis said, "We consider our entrepreneurs and citizens living in Europe as bridges in our relations with these countries. We will continue to resolutely monitor all the developments which are of concern to you and Turkish immigrants" and he added, "We request the new generation Turkish immigrants especially in West Europe to take part more in social, economic and cultural life of the countries they live in and present our culture as a richness to the societies in which they are".

Bagis said, "We are of the opinion that qualified Turks' presence in every sphere of social life and their adaptation will be of help to eliminate preconceptions which exist in European societies" and stated that involvement in the political life of the country in which one lived would be influential in putting the rights and interests of the Turkish immigrants on the agenda and in following them up.

Noting that efforts were being made to protect the rights of our citizens abroad and take all the necessary measures to ensure that they had the most appropriate living and working conditions, Bagis stated that support of our entrepreneurs and Turkish non-governmental organizations was also needed.

Bagis said:

"We hereby formulate European Union Communication Strategy through the new structural organization at the SGEU in order our country to be communicated to public opinion in EU countries, and EU to be communicated to public opinion in Turkey in a right and proper way. We consider you as the volunteer representatives of ours in the formulation and implementation of this strategy."

Source: AA