Turkey's EU bid

dublin | eu | news report Saturday October 09, 2004 14:29 by Grace Walsh - None grace_daisy at hotmail dot com

Turkish Ambassador urges unity over division

The Turkish Ambassador to Ireland expresses hope and optimism in the face of Turkey's possible EU membership.

The Turkish Ambassador to Ireland, Ahmet Berki Dibek, speaking in an interview yesterday, was optimistic that critics would in time see Turkey as an emerging modern, democratic state and a living example that democracy and human rights can take root in a majority Islamic nation. He urged the need for Turkey to continue its modernisation process, both in an effort to join the EU and as an example to other Islamic states.

Dibek warned against EU exclusivity saying that democratic values are not the property of the EU. “These are universal values,” he said.

He also highlighted the benefits that Turkey can bring the EU if it becomes a member, in particular as a bridge builder between the EU and the East, and with regards to military and natural energy resources.

Dibek stated Turkey’s desire to comply with the rules and regulations set down by the EU saying, “we know that the EU is a club, and if this club obliges its members to wear a tie…if we walk around in a swimsuit it won’t be appropriate.”

Turkey’s EU bid has been met with widespread criticism on the basis of its 70 million-strong, predominantly, Muslim population, and its poor human rights record. There has been what has been described as a “revolution” in the Turkey’s legislation with regards to the systematic use of torture, the treatment of the country’s minorities, and women’s rights and freedoms.

However, Anne Marlborough, European Presidency Officer of Amnesty International Irish Section, warns that legislative change does not always translate into actual improvements in human rights in a country. She expressed concern in particular over the country’s record with regards to women’s rights and freedoms.

On the other hand human rights organisations have noted an improvement in the country and if this is to continue, perhaps Turkey’s entry to the EU would both be feasible and beneficial for all parties concerned.

It would seem redundant for a political entity that bases its values on democracy and unity to exclude a nation based on Islamiphobic grounds. As Stefan Auer of the Dublin European Institute observes, the EU has its bases in unifying diversity and who is to say where this diversity should end.