Turkey's accession to the European Union process, which is a long and narrow road, and its full membership goal are more meaningful than ever, Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakcı said Thursday.
Speaking to Turkish broadcaster A Haber on the 35th anniversary of Turkey's application to the EU for full membership, Kaymakcı said that the negotiations for the accession process still continue despite negative developments in recent years.
Noting obstacles put forward by European countries like the Cyprus issue and negative perceptions against Turkey among some EU members, Kaymakcı said that the negotiations have almost come to a standstill but underlined that Turkey is still a candidate country that is officially negotiating.
He also noted that nearly 80% of Turkish people still favor the possibility of Turkey becoming an EU member.
Kaymakcı said that updating the customs union has become a necessity for Turkey and the EU.
Turkey is the only non-EU country with a customs union agreement with the bloc. The deal was struck in 1995. In its Dec. 21, 2016, assessment, the European Commission proposed revamping the deal. The current customs union agreement only covers a limited range of industrial products and excludes agriculture, public procurement, e-commerce and services. Turkey says that an expanded European Union-Turkey Customs Union deal with its largest market, Europe would be in the best interest of both sides.
He also made evaluations about the process of visa liberalization. Kaymakcı noted that Turkey had completed 65 of 72 criteria before the agreement was signed with the EU. He added that one of the remaining seven criteria was also completed, and efforts for the other six criteria are still continuing.
Visa liberalization was designed so Turkish citizens with biometric passports could enter Europe's "Schengen area" for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period without requiring a visa.
In March 2016, Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement to reduce the number of migrants taking the dangerous Aegean Sea route to Europe and find a solution for the influx of migrants heading to EU countries. According to the deal, Turkey was promised a total of 6 billion euros ($7.30 billion) in financial aid. It was initially designed to be given to the country in two stages and used by the Turkish government to finance projects for Syrian migrants. Visa freedom for Turkish citizens was also part of the agreement. In addition, the EU-Turkey Customs Union was to be updated.
In exchange for these promises, Turkey took responsibility for discouraging migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of Syrian migrants living in Turkey. Despite significant developments controlling migration traffic, Turkey has frequently noted that the EU has not fully delivered on its commitments stated in the deal and criticized the international community for its indifference to the migrant crisis.
Kaymakcı also said that the ongoing war in Ukraine has changed European countries' perception of Turkey positively.
"If Turkey had been properly included in the EU's security and defense mechanisms, perhaps the war we see today could have been prevented," the diplomat said.
Had Turkey been a member of the EU beforehand, many global and regional wars and crises could have been avoided thanks to the power and influence of that EU, Kaymakcı added.
"The Russia-Ukraine war has once again demonstrated the importance of Turkey for the EU in terms of security, defense, energy security, migration management and economy. Our European interlocutors also saw and agreed that the security and stability of Europe are not possible without Turkey."
Turkey has a long history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1964, which is regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Turkey had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. Turkey then had to wait another six years for negotiations to begin in 2005, a uniquely long process compared to other candidates. Since then, the process seems to have stalled.
