It is about time the European Union adopts a different stance with the ongoing war in Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a message issued on the occasion of Europe Day on Monday.
"It is high time that the EU, which has drifted apart from its founding values and has come under the influence of short-term policies of some member-states, starts writing a new story for itself amid the Ukraine War," the president said.
"This tragedy, which is taking place before the eyes of the whole world, is in a way a warning," Erdoğan said, adding that Europe needs solidarity, cooperation and a visionary and brave perspective, similar to the one in 1950.
As a strong partner, a candidate-state and a NATO ally, Turkey makes a substantial contribution to Europe in overcoming current challenges, Erdoğan said.
"The negative effects of war in Ukraine, which has reached global dimensions, have reasserted the strategic importance of Turkey for the EU," the president said. Highlighting the importance of focusing on mutual interests rather than differences, Erdoğan said enhancing Turkey-EU relations in all fields will benefit both sides.
"Turkey’s EU accession process, which the country has maintained with patience and determination despite all obstacles, should be encouraged with a constructive stance," the president said, adding that it is a "necessity" for the bloc’s future, reputation and reliability.
Erdoğan noted that Europe Day, which marked the creation of a more unified Europe after the Schuman Declaration of 1950, has been celebrated in Turkey since 1999, as he highlighted the importance of the declaration, saying that it ensured European countries come together following a destructive war for the sake of peace, security, development and prosperity.
The president continued by saying that European countries have started to move away from the bloc’s founding values, mostly under the influence of countries’ short-term policies. However, the war in Ukraine has turned a new page.
"This tragedy, which is taking place before the eyes of the whole world, is in a way a warning," Erdoğan said, adding that Europe needs solidarity, cooperation and a visionary and brave perspective, similar to the one in 1950.
The president also said he congratulates Europe Day, hoping that it leads to further peace, solidarity and welfare in the region.
Çavuşoğlu marks Europe Day
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey continues to follow a constructive policy in all fields to further enhance cooperation and dialogue within the scope of its EU accession process.
In a message issued on the occasion of May 9 Europe Day, the foreign minister said the war in Ukraine has shown how difficult it is to protect and preserve peace.
"The tragedy in Ukraine, which is happening in the middle of Europe in the 21st century and which has brought us back to Europe in the 1940s, is a warning sign for all of us," Çavuşoğlu said, adding that it will be a turning point for the future of Europe.
He continued by saying that besides the war, the bloc is also challenged by global uncertainties, climate change, energy dependency, terrorism and irregular migration.
"Furthermore, extremist trends, including discrimination, xenophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, have been deteriorating the bloc’s culture of co-existence and shaking the mutual values that Europe was built upon," Çavuşoğlu said.
He noted that Turkey has always contributed to the region’s stability and prosperity and that Ankara will continue to follow cooperation and dialogue-based policy.
Turkey has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually 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. For the start of the negotiations, however, Turkey had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.
Nearly 80% of Turkish people still favor the possibility of Turkey becoming an EU member.
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.
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.