Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-21-Speech-3-286"
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"en.20080521.20.3-286"2
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I welcome Turkey’s 2007 progress report by my colleague, Mrs Oomen-Ruijten, which urges the Turkish Government to fulfil its promises to pursue reforms and modernise the country. I also want to express my long-held view, which is a view of the vast majority of Europeans as well, that the EU should not offer Turkey the prospect of full membership. Geographically, culturally and spiritually, Turkey is outside the European identity concept. In addition to that, the budget of the Union is not and will not be capable of coping with the burden that Turkey’s full membership would bring. That said, I support the vision of close cooperation, the so-called ‘strategic partnership’ between the EU and Turkey. I also see the significance of the report in this light.
I welcome the fact that Turkey has achieved some progress in several areas in 2007. In spite of that, the dismal human rights situation still persists. In the context of this report, we should insist more on improving the situation of the national minorities (namely the Kurdish minority) and on introducing complete freedom of speech and religion. I also support the call for Article 301 of the Penal Code to be abolished and for the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary to be immediately re-opened. We also must make demands on Turkey to look back upon its past and accept the fact of the Armenian genocide, as well as the illegality of its military interference in Cyprus."@en1
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