TURKEY AND THE EU: SHAPING THE FUTURE

The 7th Boshporus Conference titled "EU and Turkey: shaping the future" which was jointly organized by British Council, Delegation of the European Union to Turkey and Turkish Economic & Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) was held in Istanbul.

In his speech at the gala dinner held in Consulate General of the United Kingdom in Istanbul, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that Turkey realized a 11% rate of growth in the first six months of this year.

Bagis continued as follows:

Considering this hard time that the EU is facing, we have adopted a new motto: "Europe, just hold on! Turkey will save you."

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Bagis said: "The fate of both Turkey and Europe forces us to cooperate, so if you try to prevent that machine of the history, the wheels of that machine will mangle your fingers."

"This partnership will be the one that both parts will benefit from. What kinds of things will Turkey face during that negotiation process? We wish to have a just and fair treatment; we do not want to be privileged. We wish to be treated in a manner that the other countries experienced when they were candidate countries".

"Another expectation of the Turkish nation is genuine cooperation in fighting with terrorism. We should never forget that unless everyone is safe, no one will feel safe. Nobody can fight with terror problem alone. We hope to have genuine and concrete cooperation".

Egemen Bagis said that Turkey felt itself as determined, strong and brave as it had never felt before, both economically and politically in the EU accession period.

Meeting Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Steven Vanackere and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule at breakfast, Egemen Bagis attended the first session of the conference where Turkey- European Union relations were discussed.

In his speech at the conference Bagis said: "EU is suffering from an economic crisis and is in need of an economic recovery. The activities of European Investment Bank prove how important role Turkey has." Bagis remarked that Turkey demonstrated its determination thanks to its economic growth.

Mentioning the Turkey's EU membership process, Bagis said: "Turkey is a must to fulfill this peace project."

Source: AA