By H.E. Mr Selim Yenel, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the European Union.
I have been in Brussels since December 2011, as Turkey’s Permanent Delegate to the EU. When I first came I saw my job as to prevent the relationship from sliding any further backwards. This was the case until summer of 2015. However the last year was totally different as the migration crisis was an opportunity for improving relations.
Accession to the EU is still considered as the central pillar of Turkey-EU relations. To date, only 16 Chapters out of the 35 are opened. The process is politically stalled, mainly because of the Cyprus issue. I remain optimistic that a resolution to this long standing conflict is in sight.
Without diminishing its significance, I have to underline that Turkey-EU relations encompass more than accession. Turkey and the EU are vital partners in political and economic spheres. We have established High Level Political, Economic and Energy Dialogues. Work is underway to start upgrading the Customs Union next year. EU remains Turkey’s primary trade partner, constituting around 50% of our foreign trade volume. The Netherlands is among the top foreign investors in Turkey.
Regarding recent events the migration crisis instigated the unprecedented three Turkey-EU Summits in just 4 months. Despite many skeptical voices, the Agreement curbed the irregular flow of migrants (mainly from Syria) to the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The numbers prove it. Whereas in October 2015 average daily crossings were 7.000, after the 18 March Agreement it drastically reduced to an average of 50 per day. Even in the aftermath of the 15 July coup attempt in Turkey, which was a shocking and unprecedented event with potential catastrophic consequences for Turkish democracy, the Turkish Coast Guard did not falter in its operations and saved more than 2.000 lives at sea. Most importantly the death toll decreased.
Turkey has lived up to its end of the deal. It is only fair that EU also delivers on its commitments, including visa liberalization for Turkish citizens. Among the remaining benchmarks for visa liberalization, the most contentious one is changing the anti-terror law. Given Turkey’s ongoing fight against terror groups such as PKK, DAESH and FETÖ, any change which would weaken Turkey’s fighting capacity is not possible. However, Turkey has not closed the door on the issue and we are willing to work together for a mutually agreeable solution.
The European Union has been hard hit with crisis after crisis. It still has not fully recovered from the Euro crisis. Brexit is looming. Schengen is in danger. All its past successes, such as the enlargement, are being tested. The EU cannot continue business as usual. Considering the many challenges in our immediate neighborhood and beyond, we need a strong EU. And the EU needs a strong and ever-closer Turkey.
We will be celebrating the 93rd anniversary of our Republic on 29 October. I sincerely hope that before our 100th Anniversary, we’ll witness a much more deepened Turkey-EU partnership, whichever form it takes.
