Turkey and its past

Middle East correspondent Martin Selsoe Sorensen steadfastly maintains that the Turkish government can only be successful in its attempts to come closer to Europe if the EU remains a strong ally. "Regarding Turkey, one wonders why the EU insists on having everything at once. Both sides agree that it will take ten, 15 or 20 years before full Turkish membership is feasible, so why is the EU so adamant that Turkey break with all its national taboos and traumas within the space of a few years? For Turkey, discussing the Armenians, the Kurds, the military and Cyprus is an incredibly painful process, precisely because these issues have not been addressed for decades. The country is making an effort to confront these issues. But it will take time before the Turkish people are ready for such confrontations. It's much more difficult for Turkey to confront its past than for a country like Denmark, which has an evenly well-educated population and a relatively uncontroversial history."

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