Partnership or Membership?
The Cyprus conflict, Islam, democratic reforms or freedom of speech - depending on the headlines of the moment the media switches its focus between the different aspects in the debate about Turkey's EU membership. But the fundamental question is whether Turkey belongs to Europe.
euro|topics dossiers on Turkey and Europe
Main focus of Tuesday, 8. May 2007
As soon as he was elected on Sunday, May 6th, the future French president Nicolas Sarkozy committed himself to placing Europe at the top of ... » more
As soon as he was elected on Sunday, May 6th, the future French president Nicolas Sarkozy committed himself to placing Europe at the top of his list of priorities. The press wonders if France's European policy will change when he comes to power.
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Arnaud Leparmentier
Main focus of Monday, 30. April 2007
On Friday, April 27th, the Turkish army threatened the government run by the moderate Islamist AKP party (the justice and development party) with intervening to ... » more
On Friday, April 27th, the Turkish army threatened the government run by the moderate Islamist AKP party (the justice and development party) with intervening to protect the founding secular principles of this country. This warning comes just as Parliament is trying to name Turkey's new president. A single candidate is being disputed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gül (AKP).
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Edward Nicolae Luttwak
Main focus of Wednesday, 25. April 2007
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renounced running for president in favour of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül. Can Gül, who is widely regarded as ... » more
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renounced running for president in favour of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül. Can Gül, who is widely regarded as pro-European, dispel the doubts about his party, the Islamic-conservative AKP, or is the country at risk of increasingly coming under the sway of Islam?
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Patricia Benecke
Main focus of Monday, 22. January 2007
Last Friday, Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was murdered in Istanbul. European papers ask which forces were at work behind the attack. They consider what ... » more
Last Friday, Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was murdered in Istanbul. European papers ask which forces were at work behind the attack. They consider what this murder reveals about the state of democracy in Turkey - and about Turkey's readiness for Europe.
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Jürgen Gottschlich
Main focus of Tuesday, 12. December 2006
Following the recommendations of the European Union, the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs decided, on Monday, December 11th, to slow down negotiations on Turkey's EU accession. ... » more
Following the recommendations of the European Union, the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs decided, on Monday, December 11th, to slow down negotiations on Turkey's EU accession. They decided to suspend 8 out of the 35 thematic chapters of the negotiations to try and constrain Turkey to the opening of its ports and airports to Greek Cypriots.
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Turkey
Main focus of Tuesday, 28. November 2006
The Finnish government in charge of the revolving EU presidency announced on Monday, November 27th, the failure of negotiations with Ankara on the opening of Turkish ... » more
The Finnish government in charge of the revolving EU presidency announced on Monday, November 27th, the failure of negotiations with Ankara on the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot ships. The freezing of EU accession negotiations seems an inevitable consequence.
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Cyprus, » Turkey
Main focus of Monday, 27. November 2006
Benedict XVI is expected in Turkey on Tuesday, November 28th, for a four-day visit. It has been two months since Turkey harshly criticised the Pope for including ... » more
Benedict XVI is expected in Turkey on Tuesday, November 28th, for a four-day visit. It has been two months since Turkey harshly criticised the Pope for including in a speech certain historical references considered offensive to the Muslim religion. The press ponders the scope of this trip that should also allow Benedict XVI to tighten links between Roman and Orthodox Churches.
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Adriana Faranda
Main focus of Thursday, 16. November 2006
The recent publication of a report in which the European Commission criticises the slow pace of reforms undertaken by Turkey to enter the EU is ... » more
The recent publication of a report in which the European Commission criticises the slow pace of reforms undertaken by Turkey to enter the EU is feeding the debate in the European press on the country's accession.
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
Main focus of Thursday, 9. November 2006
What is the EU's strategy regarding its future, commentators ask following the publishing of its new strategy paper on enlargement. Among other things, the dispute with Turkey has once again raised the question of what defines Europe: » more
What is the EU's strategy regarding its future, commentators ask following the publishing of its new strategy paper on enlargement. Among other things, the dispute with Turkey has once again raised the question of what defines Europe: geography or ideals?
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Steffen Grimberg
Main focus of Wednesday, 18. October 2006
The recent remarks made by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on the slow pace of reforms taking place in Turkey with ... » more
The recent remarks made by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on the slow pace of reforms taking place in Turkey with a view to its entry into the EU have revived the debate on the country's candidature. The accession negotiations launched a year ago have not yet allowed any real progress.
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Turkey
All available articles from » Denis MacShane
Main focus of Friday, 13. October 2006
While French members of Parliament were busy adopting, on Thursday, October 12th, a government bill condemning negation of the Armenian genocide, the writer Orhan Pamuk, ... » more
While French members of Parliament were busy adopting, on Thursday, October 12th, a government bill condemning negation of the Armenian genocide, the writer Orhan Pamuk, one of the first Turkish intellectuals ever to have acknowledged the genocide, saw himself awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The European press puts these two events into perspective.
More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » History, » Turkey
All available articles from » Michel Wieviorka
Main focus of Thursday, 12. October 2006
Two central issues in the debate about Turkey's EU membership are religion and confronting the past. The French members of parliament thus adopted, on October ... » more
Two central issues in the debate about Turkey's EU membership are religion and confronting the past. The French members of parliament thus adopted, on October 12th, a bill penalising the negation of the Armenian genocide perpetrated in Turkey. The Turkish government is radically opposed to this initiative. Should Turkey recognize this genocide in the hope of becoming part of the EU?
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Religion, » History, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Alfred Grosser
Opinions on whether Turkey is ready for Europe
Corriere della Sera - Italy | Wednesday, 16. May 2007
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, feminist and political thinker, analyses the growing Islamist stronghold on Turkey and suggests how the EU can stymie it. "The proponents of ... » more
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, feminist and political thinker, analyses the growing Islamist stronghold on Turkey and suggests how the EU can stymie it. "The proponents of Islam in government such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Abdullah Gul and their Justice and Development Party have been remarkably successful. They have understood and exploited the fact that you can use democratic means to erode democracy. With this insight, they have employed a powerful strategy. ... After an initial attempt at Islamic revolution failed in 1997 when the military engineered a 'soft coup' against elected Islamists, Erdogan and his party understood that gradualism would yield more lasting power. ... If they show the same restraint and patience that has brought them this far, they may achieve their aim by continuing to court EU membership. Naive but well-meaning European leaders were manipulated by the ruling Islamists from the onset into saying that Turkey's army should be placed under civil control like all armies in the EU member states."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Die Zeit - Germany | Thursday, 10. May 2007
"Is it a curse or a blessing to live in interesting times?" asks Turkish writer Elif Shafak. She observes the current situation in her country, ... » more
"Is it a curse or a blessing to live in interesting times?" asks Turkish writer Elif Shafak. She observes the current situation in her country, where Islamic democrats and undemocratic secularists are facing off. "In Turkey, modernisation has always been initiated and carried out by a political and cultural elite. Who represents the nation? The elite? The army? The conservatives? Each group sees itself as the sole representative of the state, without considering that the nation belongs to us all. Interestingly, the anti-Western hard-liners in Turkey and the anti-Turkish hard-liners in Europe have a lot in common. Both think Islam and Western democracy are incompatible. And both are against EU membership for Turkey."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Elif Shafak
L'Express - France | Thursday, 3. May 2007
Asked by François Busnel about Turkey's capacity to be integrated in Europe, Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish writer and 2006 Nobel Prize winner for literature, answers by using his native city as an example. "Istanbul is indeed part of Europe, since my football club, Galatasaray, is playing in the European Cup championship... If you ask me if Istanbul is in Europe, my answer is that you need only look at a map of the world to see so. However, more seriously, we are not up to standard for the time being. This said, I think that Turkey should, culturally, be capable of joining European democracies in the Union. But without denying what it actually is. Turkey's desire to become part of Europe poses the following questions: » more
Asked by François Busnel about Turkey's capacity to be integrated in Europe, Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish writer and 2006 Nobel Prize winner for literature, answers by using his native city as an example. "Istanbul is indeed part of Europe, since my football club, Galatasaray, is playing in the European Cup championship... If you ask me if Istanbul is in Europe, my answer is that you need only look at a map of the world to see so. However, more seriously, we are not up to standard for the time being. This said, I think that Turkey should, culturally, be capable of joining European democracies in the Union. But without denying what it actually is. Turkey's desire to become part of Europe poses the following questions: what is European culture ? Is it history ? Is it geography ? Or is it something else ?"
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Orhan Pamuk, » François Busnel
Sega - Bulgaria | Friday, 4. May 2007
Bulgarian scholar Wladimir Stefanow comments on the latest political events in Turkey. "The current Turkish prime minister underestimates an important, specific moment in the history ... » more
Bulgarian scholar Wladimir Stefanow comments on the latest political events in Turkey. "The current Turkish prime minister underestimates an important, specific moment in the history of the Kemalist model. This model was designed to be copied in the east, but at the same time it draws its strength from the west. It's questionable whether and when Turkey could join the European Union, but without a doubt the country remains a 'showcase for secular Islam' and thus a paradigm emulated by many in the Islamic world. Erdogan seems not to consider what the impact is on the many branches of the 'Muslim Brotherhood' in the Islamic world, if even the leader of the Turkish state, with his key position, belongs to their party. The post-Kemalist game has to be played with a certain consistency, because anyone who acts without thinking will quickly disappear from the political stage."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Vladimir Stefanov
El Periódico de Catalunya - Spain | Wednesday, 2. May 2007
Referring to the work of Islam specialist Bernard Lewis, the Spanish historian and journalist Mateo Madridejos wonders what path Turkey should take towards democracy. "His vision [that of Bernard Lewis] of a democratised Muslim world freed from the medieval shackles that were once again brandished by neo-conservative Americans on their grievous crusade in Iraq, is back in the heart of debate with the current presidential election [in Turkey]. ... Defenders of Dr. Lewis's thesis believe that secularism and westernisation are ineluctable conditions of democracy, while those who are defending an agreement with the Islamist Erdogan [Turkish Prime Minister] are asking a good question that has yet to find an answer: » more
Referring to the work of Islam specialist Bernard Lewis, the Spanish historian and journalist Mateo Madridejos wonders what path Turkey should take towards democracy. "His vision [that of Bernard Lewis] of a democratised Muslim world freed from the medieval shackles that were once again brandished by neo-conservative Americans on their grievous crusade in Iraq, is back in the heart of debate with the current presidential election [in Turkey]. ... Defenders of Dr. Lewis's thesis believe that secularism and westernisation are ineluctable conditions of democracy, while those who are defending an agreement with the Islamist Erdogan [Turkish Prime Minister] are asking a good question that has yet to find an answer: instead of being an obstacle for democracy, could moderate Islam not be a way of reaching it ?"
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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Mateo Madridejos
Le Jeudi - Luxembourg | Thursday, 8. March 2007
The Luxemburg writer Jean Portante, a regular chronicler in the weekly, finds it unacceptable that Turkey should have to pay for the current EU crisis. "The European flag is at half-mast within the Union, as if its new members were mourning its past fervour for Europe, whereas not so long ago the EU was synonymous with an ocean of hope. The thing is that most of them had been part of something that, even in their wildest dreams, they did not think they would ever be free of. The implosion of the Soviet empire led to desires which, today, no longer have wind in their sails. And yet it is because Turks do not want to fall prey to the radical Islamism looming large on its doorstep that they are dreaming of our Europe and our European values. We are for Turkey what we were previously for Poland and Hungary: » more
The Luxemburg writer Jean Portante, a regular chronicler in the weekly, finds it unacceptable that Turkey should have to pay for the current EU crisis. "The European flag is at half-mast within the Union, as if its new members were mourning its past fervour for Europe, whereas not so long ago the EU was synonymous with an ocean of hope. The thing is that most of them had been part of something that, even in their wildest dreams, they did not think they would ever be free of. The implosion of the Soviet empire led to desires which, today, no longer have wind in their sails. And yet it is because Turks do not want to fall prey to the radical Islamism looming large on its doorstep that they are dreaming of our Europe and our European values. We are for Turkey what we were previously for Poland and Hungary: the means of escaping an undesired domination. This is why, strategically speaking, Turkey's place is within the EU."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Jean Portante
Financial Times - United Kingdom | Thursday, 1. February 2007
Mark Mazower, history professor at Columbia University, reflects on Turkey's attitude to its past and notably the mass murders of Armenians between 1915 and 1916. ... » more
Mark Mazower, history professor at Columbia University, reflects on Turkey's attitude to its past and notably the mass murders of Armenians between 1915 and 1916. "Most Turkish nationalists do not so much deny the killings themselves as claim they need to be seen in the context of an all-out assault on what was left of the ottoman empire itself. It is certainly true - though Europe still ignores the unpalatable fact - that the expansion of national states, mostly Christian, was accompanied by the killing and expulsion of Muslims from the Balkans and Russia. To explain is not to justify. Yet the escalation of violence in Anatolia after 1914 was certainly linked to the upheavals that had preceded it. Franker discusssion of the Armenian genocide thus has the potential to open up an entirely different perspective on Europe's modern history as a whole. There are many ways the Turkish government can help this along."
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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Turkey
All available articles from » Mark Mazower
Open Democracy - United Kingdom | Wednesday, 24. January 2007
Elif Shafak is a Turkish novelist who was charged in her country with insulting Turkishness for remarks about Turkey's history before being acquitted last September. ... » more
Elif Shafak is a Turkish novelist who was charged in her country with insulting Turkishness for remarks about Turkey's history before being acquitted last September. She pays homage to the journalist Hrant Dink who was shot dead by a Turkish ultra-nationalist on Friday, January 19th. "He made us believe that we the citizens of modern Turkey, as the grandchildren of the multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual Ottoman empire, could and should live together without assimilating differences or erasing the memory of the past. He wanted to shatter the silence in Turkey on the 1915 deportation and massacres of Armenians, believing that remembrance was a responsibility. According to him, only if and when Turks and Armenians mourned this tragedy together, would we be able to start a new and better future. In a country stamped with collective amnesia, Hrant struggled for memory. ... He had uttermost faith in his fellow citizens, and believed that through dialogue and empathy even the most ossified chauvinisms would melt away."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Literature, » Print media, » Turkey
All available articles from » Elif Shafak
Dnevnik - Bulgaria | Monday, 8. January 2007
Bulgaria and Turkey are not only linked by a common border. The history, architecture, culture and language of centuries of Ottoman rule have left their ... » more
Bulgaria and Turkey are not only linked by a common border. The history, architecture, culture and language of centuries of Ottoman rule have left their imprint on Bulgaria. Author and columnist Julian Popov places the special relationship of his country to Turkey into a new European context. "There is hardly any country in Europe that can claim to know Turkey better than we. Bulgaria can represent an important position at the round table regarding questions about Turkey. We are members of the EU and we enjoy the trust of the USA. Where else should talks regarding Turkey take place? In Greece, where not all the scimitars have been replaced in their scabbards? In Germany, where the Turkish question deals mostly with the integration of guest workers? Or in France? Or in Europe-sceptical Great Britain? Hardly. The right place for this is Bulgaria."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Turkey, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Julian Popov
El País - Spain | Wednesday, 3. January 2007
The journalist Hugh Pope, a specialist on Turkey, makes a plea in favour of another EU enlargement. "In the same way that Turkey diligently changed ... » more
The journalist Hugh Pope, a specialist on Turkey, makes a plea in favour of another EU enlargement. "In the same way that Turkey diligently changed in order to adapt to Europe, a new manner of conceiving the European character would be to welcome the Euro-Muslim pragmatism that reigns in Turkey. This is impossible for those Europeans who upbraid the 'Islam' of their new neighbours for bad manners, oppression of women and sartorial tradition. These problems, which are real, have less to do with religion than with education, wealth and experience in an urban environment. There was a time when Northern Europeans also treated Spain and Italy with condescension, considering that those countries were not European. But today nobody would ever question the advantages of the modification of Europe's self-image or the distribution of its wealth, advantages that allowed the integration of these two countries."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Hugh Pope
El País - Spain | Wednesday, 8. November 2006
The Spanish writer Suso de Toro wonders whether the modern Turkey defended by Orhan Pamuk really exists. "What if Pamuk were fighting abroad for our acceptance of a Turkey that is not actually real while fighting at the same time in his country for it to accept to become the European Turkey that he desires? The writer is fighting against chaos, he has nostalgia for a harmony that does not exist, never has and that never will. ... I do not believe that this Ideal Turkey will come into being. Writers and dreamers are convinced that at some point in history everything might be turned around and fall into place. ... Today's Turkey has given birth to a writer who is dreaming of another Turkey: » more
The Spanish writer Suso de Toro wonders whether the modern Turkey defended by Orhan Pamuk really exists. "What if Pamuk were fighting abroad for our acceptance of a Turkey that is not actually real while fighting at the same time in his country for it to accept to become the European Turkey that he desires? The writer is fighting against chaos, he has nostalgia for a harmony that does not exist, never has and that never will. ... I do not believe that this Ideal Turkey will come into being. Writers and dreamers are convinced that at some point in history everything might be turned around and fall into place. ... Today's Turkey has given birth to a writer who is dreaming of another Turkey: he has created another country, another world, another history and is struggling to impose all this onto reality. This is what literature is, an absurd, but necessary effort. It fails in the public, collective sphere, but triumphs in the individual, intimate sphere."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Literature, » Turkey
All available articles from » Suso De Toro
Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Monday, 9. October 2006
In his acceptance speech for the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, German sociologist and journalist Wolf Lepenies stressed the importance of focusing on Europe's ties with Islam rather than the differences. "Those who oppose Turkey's accession to the European Union have serious arguments: » more
In his acceptance speech for the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, German sociologist and journalist Wolf Lepenies stressed the importance of focusing on Europe's ties with Islam rather than the differences. "Those who oppose Turkey's accession to the European Union have serious arguments: human rights violations, the lack of protection for minorities, the dangers of demographic imbalance and of European institutions not being able to cope. It is not the danger of losing its Christian soul that Europe must fear if Turkey becomes a member state. Europe never had a pure soul; this is one of its strengths. Nor can Islam claim to be 'pure'. Islam was not just a religious culture; it was also an aesthetic and secular culture, and above all it was not a monolithic culture but a fractured one. And for a long time and in many places in the world, it had close ties with Christian values and the Jewish world. To say this openly is a scandal and a blow to Islamic fundamentalists."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Europe
All available articles from » Wolf Lepenies
Le Figaro - France | Wednesday, 4. October 2006
Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer puts his name to a plea for Turkey's membership of the EU. He believes Turkey is the cornerstone of ... » more
Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer puts his name to a plea for Turkey's membership of the EU. He believes Turkey is the cornerstone of regional security. "Successful modernisation and democratization in Turkey - thanks to an influential civil society, the rule of law and a modern economy - will not only benefit the country but will help export stability and act as a model for the transformation of the Islamic world. ... Turkey indeed has a long way to go, but constantly hampering the EU integration process while being fully aware of the possible repercussions is mindless behaviour from the Europeans which could have serious consequences. What is worse in politics than acting mindlessly? Relations between Europe and Turkey look set to crash. Yet neither can afford a collision that appears all too predictable."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Joschka Fischer
Geopolitical considerations
Kathimerini - Greece | Tuesday, 15. May 2007
"A 'special relationship' between Ankara and the EU, which is being proposed by Mr Sarkozy [France's president-elect] and heartily backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ... » more
"A 'special relationship' between Ankara and the EU, which is being proposed by Mr Sarkozy [France's president-elect] and heartily backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is only viable if Turkey itself embraces this option, for its own reasons", notes the Greek columnist Costas Iordanidis. "The Greek government does not back this prospect because it would allow Ankara to gain all the benefits of EU membership without obliging it to cooperate with Greece subject to the principles of good neighborly relations. The Cypriot government has more or less the same stance. ... The entrance of Sarkozy onto the European political stage will prompt an essential slowdown, if not total paralysis, of Turkey's European-bound course. This calls for alertness from Greece's political leadership, which always thought that the European Commission would be able to solve its longstanding problems with Turkey."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Greece, » Turkey
All available articles from » Costas Iordanidis
Kathimerini - Greece | Saturday, 5. May 2007
"Turkey is not Europe but Asia, said Nicolas Sarkozy during the televised debate with his Socialist rival Segolene Royal. In other words, Asia Minor - ... » more
"Turkey is not Europe but Asia, said Nicolas Sarkozy during the televised debate with his Socialist rival Segolene Royal. In other words, Asia Minor - birthplace of the third century Christian saint after whom the [victorious] presidential candidate was named - is not Europe", notes the journalist Machalis N. Katsigeras. "So there is de Gaulle's vision of Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals, the Crusaders' idea of a Catholic Europe, the Christian Europe of the Holy Alliance, Hitler's New Europe, the New Europe of the enlargement-planners in Brussels. ... Europe's borders, particularly to the east, were never clear. Geography may provide some answers but historical, cultural and anthropological factors complicate matters."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » History, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Michalis N. Katsigeras
Jyllands-Posten - Denmark | Tuesday, 19. December 2006
The newspaper has high hopes for Germany's EU presidency, which is scheduled to begin in January 2007. "It is certainly a good thing that Europe's ... » more
The newspaper has high hopes for Germany's EU presidency, which is scheduled to begin in January 2007. "It is certainly a good thing that Europe's largest and most important country is at the helm at a time when efforts will be made to revive the European constitution project. And it's also advantageous that the sensitive matter of Turkey's future within the European Union will be one of the major issues during the six months of Germany's presidency. If the discussion about the constitution is to be revived, then it should be conducted in the German spirit that has often provided Europe with visionary leadership, and on the condition that it doesn't get too loud. We need a more realistic approach to the debate about Turkey's membership – like that adopted by Angela Merkel. For too long now, the fairytale about the necessity of Turkish EU membership has overshadowed the real problem, namely that Turkey's membership would cast doubts on fundamental European values such as freedom of expression and respect for human rights."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Germany, » Europe, » Turkey
24 heures - Switzerland | Wednesday, 29. November 2006
Phiippe Dumartheray, co-chief editor of the daily, believes that the Pope's visit to Turkey might allow an improvement of relations between the country and the EU. "The Papal visit initially only had a religious purpose: » more
Phiippe Dumartheray, co-chief editor of the daily, believes that the Pope's visit to Turkey might allow an improvement of relations between the country and the EU. "The Papal visit initially only had a religious purpose: to renew ties between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in an attempt to overcome more than a thousand years of quarrelling between two branches of Christianity. ... The link between religion and politics is easy to establish. In the case of Benedict XVI, it is quite clear. In the past, when he was only a cardinal, he never concealed his aversion before the sight of Turkey entering the EU. On the first day of his trip, the Pope wil have, on the contrary, defended the welcome of Turkey into the Union. This change of direction is to be followed closely, as it might influence European Christian-Democrats, notably Germans, who are rather hostile to Turkish accession."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Philippe Dumartheray
Lietuvos rytas - Lithuania | Wednesday, 4. October 2006
"Every time the EU takes on a new member the debate about where Europe's borders actually lie is rekindled," says Egidijus Vareikis about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. "There is one major factor that has received little attention so far: » more
"Every time the EU takes on a new member the debate about where Europe's borders actually lie is rekindled," says Egidijus Vareikis about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. "There is one major factor that has received little attention so far: European integration is regarded with envy by other continents, because an experiment of this kind has never yet been successful although there have been several attempts. … Europe is a unique economic and political entity based on universal values rather than geography. This is why countries like Ukraine, Turkey or others could one day become members of the EU."
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Freedom of speech
Upsala Nya Tidning - Sweden | Friday, 9. February 2007
Following the murder of journalist Hrant Dink and the death threats he has himself received, the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has fled to the US. This should be a source of great concern, the newspaper writes: » more
Following the murder of journalist Hrant Dink and the death threats he has himself received, the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has fled to the US. This should be a source of great concern, the newspaper writes: "When someone who has killed a journalist is regarded as a hero in Turkish security circles; when a man like Pamuk - who is as closely associated with Istanbul as Alfred Döblin with Berlin, James Joyce with Dublin or Woody Allen with New York - no longer dares to remain in his city of birth, this should be a cause of concern for more people than just his compatriots. Can a country in which 'dark powers' openly defy the government really be considered for EU membership? An unsympathetic tone has crept into the discussion in many countries. They say that a country with a predominantly Muslim population can't be European. Such prejudices must be put to one side. However, gaps in the democratic and judicial system cannot be ignored. The EU is not a Christian association, but it is very much a democratic one. For this reason Turkey should not become an EU member for now."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Literature, » Turkey
El Mundo - Spain | Monday, 5. February 2007
The Spanish author Juan Bonilla comments on the situation in which the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk finds himself. The winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize ... » more
The Spanish author Juan Bonilla comments on the situation in which the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk finds himself. The winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for literature, currently visiting the United States, had to cancel a trip to Germany last week for security reasons. "Orhan Pamuk, author of one of the most beautiful books dedicated to a city ['Istanbul'], is going to have to leave it. He has had to pack his bags because of constant threats, the assassination of the journalist Hrant Dink, whose assassin singled out Pamuk as the next victim and because of an atmosphere polluted by nationalist fundamentalism. ... Luckily, Pamuk is able to escape. It is of course regrettable that one should be chased away from where one belongs; from the place that no one else has written about in such a way. But it is preferable to be able to leave one's home rather than helplessly watch one's house be transformed into one's tomb. Turkish ultra-nationalists are celebrating Pamuk's exile like a great victory and will go on reading the disastrous literature that feeds their sickening ideas ... ."
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More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Juan Bonilla
L'Express - France | Wednesday, 24. January 2007
Christian Makarian considers that Turkey is carrying out a "self-examination" the day after the funeral of the journalist Hrant Dink on Tuesday, January 23rd, attended by tens of thousands of Turks. "Upon the news of the assasination, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, 'The bullets aimed at Hrant Dink were shot into all of us'. This democratic impulse was tempered by a nationalist inflexion when Erdogan immediately added that 'this crime was committed at a time when Armenaian accusations of genocide are being reiterated in certain countries'." Despite this hesitation from the head of State, Makarian nonetheless remains sure of one thing: » more
Christian Makarian considers that Turkey is carrying out a "self-examination" the day after the funeral of the journalist Hrant Dink on Tuesday, January 23rd, attended by tens of thousands of Turks. "Upon the news of the assasination, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, 'The bullets aimed at Hrant Dink were shot into all of us'. This democratic impulse was tempered by a nationalist inflexion when Erdogan immediately added that 'this crime was committed at a time when Armenaian accusations of genocide are being reiterated in certain countries'." Despite this hesitation from the head of State, Makarian nonetheless remains sure of one thing: "The Armenian question [has become] the very symbol of Turkey's democratisation and Europeanisation. In a way, Hrant Dink has won."
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Der Tagesspiegel - Germany | Tuesday, 23. January 2007
The paper publishes the last article by murdered journalist Hrant Dink, which appeared in the Turkish-Armenian weekly 'Agos'. Dink describes how both the law and media made him out to be an "enemy of Turkey" - and he describes his fear. "There were moments in which I seriously thought of leaving the country... but if we decided to go, where to? To Armenia? How would someone like me, who can't tolerate injustice, come to terms with the injustice there? Would I not have brought more misfortune to myself in that way? It's also not like me to move to a European country. After three days in the West, I would have wanted to return home on the fourth day: » more
The paper publishes the last article by murdered journalist Hrant Dink, which appeared in the Turkish-Armenian weekly 'Agos'. Dink describes how both the law and media made him out to be an "enemy of Turkey" - and he describes his fear. "There were moments in which I seriously thought of leaving the country... but if we decided to go, where to? To Armenia? How would someone like me, who can't tolerate injustice, come to terms with the injustice there? Would I not have brought more misfortune to myself in that way? It's also not like me to move to a European country. After three days in the West, I would have wanted to return home on the fourth day: What am I doing there? We are among those people who want to turn the hell in which they live into heaven."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Print media, » Minorities, » Turkey
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Dagbladet Information - Denmark | Thursday, 9. November 2006
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 ... » more
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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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Turkey
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Further articles on the subject » Demographics, » Migration, » EU Policy, » Religion, » EU enlargement, » Weltanschauung, » Europe, » Turkey
More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Migration, » EU Policy, » Religion, » EU enlargement, » Weltanschauung, » Europe, » Turkey
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