Hello

I changed my daily routine. The subjects I thought about changed. Preoccupations ended. I had recharged my batteries.

Now, I am in the excitement of waiting for the start of a race that will start as of the first week of September. I’m carried with my excitement because the period ahead has historical significance.

We will be living the most exciting days of the last 70 years of the Turkish Republic. Every day from September 1 until the end of December and the decision that will be adopted in Brussels on Dec. 17 will have an impact on the future of this country.

Look what we will be living through step by step

There will be two important guests in September.

One will be President Vlademir Putin of the Russian Federation, who will be making a state visit to Ankara after many years. The September 2-3 visit of Putin to Turkey will open a new page in Turkish-Russian relations. Russia is a country of great potential but somehow we have not been able to raise our bilateral economic relations to a desired level. Our bilateral trade volume has increased greatly compared to the previous 10-15 years, but we are not yet at a satisfactory point.

This visit will create a great opportunity to deepen our relations.

Then will come the Ankara visit of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. This visit, as well, is itself a very important one. It will be an occasion to re-emphasize at the highest level the closure of the past era of ups and downs and the opening of a new page in our ties.

After these two important visits, we will have the critical trip of Guenter Verheugen, the EU commissioner for enlargement.

The Turkey report of the EU Commission is now at draft stage. At the Ankara talks Verhaugen will discuss the main issues of this report. These talks will provide the first signs of the report, that will be unveiled on Oct. 6.

Importance of Oct. 6 further increased
This report that will be made public on Oct. 6 will have a bearing effect on the decision to be adopted by the 25 member countries on December 17. The point reached demonstrates that the heads of government and of the state along with the 25 EU member countries will decide in accordance with the Commission report.

The more the Commission produces a clearer report and suggests a date for the possible start of accession talks with Turkey, the member countries will abide with that recommendation.

In other words, the decision to be adopted at the December 17 Council (EU summit) will greatly be shaped on Oct. 6.

The EU commission write such reports in gray as much as possible. They refrain from giving a black/white result, acting with the understanding of providing as wide an area as possible to EU leaders to maneuver.

This time, however, the situation is a bit different because. At least on paper, Turkey has completed abidance with the Copenhagen political criteria. That is, it has fulfilled the condition required for the start of talks. What are left are some problems in application and a last harmonization package.

None of the countries, particularly the latest candidates, had fulfilled hundred percent compliance with the criteria for the start of talks. Even some of them, though they have became members, have not completed the harmonization process yet. This is a long-term process. Therefore, the EU Commission is devoid of any substantive reason to postpone starting accession talks with Turkey.

But, application is of vital importance
These are all the facts on paper. There is another side to the coin as well. That is, the difficulty in abandoning old habits despite all the new laws, and the threat of police and prosecutors, sometimes because of the lack of communication and sometimes intentionally, insisting on old applications. Both the justice mechanism and the press must be very sensitive on these points.

We have come a long way and reached the final phase.

We have been struggling for the past four years to get the talks started. We have been maintaining immense pressure on Europe. If we do not score a goal in our own net, Turkey opening accession talks with the EU in 2005 may not require much effort.

The real change will then start.

Everything, again, will depend on us. If we want, if we can shoulder the domestic risks as we have so far, the accession talks may conclude within its normal period (five years), otherwise, as was the Spanish case, may last eight years.

My estimate is that provided we don’t face some abnormalities, Turkey would become a full member of the EU by 2015 at the latest.

Our children and grandchildren will live in a much prosperous Turkey. Economic and political crisis, military coups lived once every ten years will all become history.

Could there be anything more beautiful, exciting than this. I’m rolling my sleeves up on holiday and return with these feelings.