Blackmail on Cyprus would be a great mistake

At the Troika meeting in The Hague on Tuesday, recognition of southern Cyprus was not put forward as a precondition to negotiations. Turkey was just told it was important. After the start of the negotiations, Turkey was told, the recognition of southern Cyprus would be on the agenda and would have to be resolved.

The EU cannot blackmail Turkey on the issue of Cyprus. Even though some countries may be in support of such a policy, most think differently.
All EU institutions should be aware of one important fact. No one in Turkey will yield to blackmail on the recognition of Cyprus.
The Turkish government can’t recognize Cyprus before an agreement on the island is reached. This is not something Turkey can accept in order to become an EU member.

It is also quite plain that it’s impossible to make any progress in the membership negotiations without recognition. The solution does not lie in trying to pressure Turkey.
When the negotiations start, the United Nations can submit a new Annan plan or a Cyprus recommendation. The EU can act as an intermediary and a result can be reached.
Only then can Turkey recognize Cyprus. If some believe blackmail will produce something, they are mistaken.

The EU doesn’t know what to do, either

The EU is confused.
As they ask Turkey to recognize Cyprus and include it in the customs union, they are aware that these things are easier said than done. They know their requests will result in nothing but words.
However, we should also be aware that we will need to find a new policy on Cyprus after the start of the membership negotiations. We need to be more creative. It’s not enough to say, “What can we do? They should have approved the Annan plan in the referendum.” The referendum is in the past. We need to act in accordance with the fact of the day. If we don’t, our hands will once again be tied.

We owe a debt of gratitude to these people

You wouldn’t believe it without seeing it.
This nine-person group worked so hard to ensure Turkey gets a date to start EU membership negotiations and was so effective in making sure Turkey was not ignored by Europe, it is impossible not to be in awe of them.
I watched them in various European capitals and at several conferences. I watched them argue at the European Parliament. I watched them on television.

No Turkish official, politician or civilian can wage so effective a campaign. The language they use, the reasons they list and their attitude sweeps everything else away before them.
The establishment of an independent commission and the inclusion of well-known and respected people in it were first put forward as an idea in 2003 at a meeting between Open Society Institute President Aryeh Neier, the institute’s Brussels Director Mabel Wisse-Smith, Turkey Director Hakan Altinay and Advisory Board Chairman Can Paker.
Later, the commission was established and a wonderful report was produced. I recommend that you read the report at www.independentcommissiononturkey.org. It’s an impressive piece of work.

The report was translated into six languages, and 25,000 copies were printed. It was distributed in 25 member countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Turkey. The deputies of the European Parliament, important newspapers and politicians each received a copy.
Commission members, together or individually, visited nine European capitals, appeared on television shows and at press conferences and defended Turkey. It was so popular that the meeting in Vienna alone attracted 600 people. The halls were not big enough to accommodate all the participants. The conference was televised in three other halls.

The main points that were mentioned in these conferences were:

– Turkey is Europe’s life insurance. The cost of life insurance cannot be debated.
– Just visit Central Asia and see how important Turkey is.
– The Arab-Israeli problem can be resolved with “soft-power” by an EU of which Turkey is a member.

These individuals have no interest in supporting Turkey nor do they get anything from their work. The only thing in their minds is freedom of expression and the desire to make Europe stronger.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to these individuals. I thank them for all of us.
Martti Ahtisaari – Chairman, Former president of Finland
Albert Rohan – Former Austrian Foreign Ministry undersecretary
Kurt Biedenkopf – Former German Saxony state minister
Emma Bonino- European Parliament deputy
Hans van den Broek – Holland’s former foreign minister
Bronislaw Geremek – Poland’s former foreign minister
Anthony Giddens – Cambridge University academic and London School of Economics director
Marcelino Oreja Aguirre – Spain’s former foreign minister and former European Council secretary-general
Michel Rocard – France’s former prime minister and European Parliament deputy

Congratulations to Diyarbakir governor

Diyarbakir Governor Efkan Aka is the youngest governor in Turkey. He represents the new generation.
I read the reports in the newspaper. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. At last someone was showing everyone that promoting adherence to laws was the way to treat people as human beings, not through imposing bans.
What Aka is doing will save the region and the country as a whole. By respecting the concerns of the local people and refraining from unnecessary harshness, we will be able to combat terrorism more easily.
Congratulations to Efkan Aka are in order.