We welcome the breakthrough in Armenian-Turkey negotiations and applaud the Turkish government’s bold initiative in their total democratization process, a senior Austrian official has said. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman on the sidelines of the European Forum Alpbach — a Davos-type gathering in the ski resort town of Alpbach in northern Austria — Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Michael Spindelegger said he was pleasantly surprised with the news that Turkey and Armenia are set to establish diplomatic ties.
“I really would like to welcome this as huge step forward just to have diplomatic relations again and to have cooperation,” he said, adding that he hoped it would lead to closer contact on economic, cultural areas as well.
“From our experience, I can safely say that if you are going to have diplomatic cooperation, then you will have a natural next step to bringing arrangements in other fields,” he explained.
The top Austrian diplomat also praised the Turkish government’s effort to bring a total democratization process to fruition and said, “This is a good way to show the world, especially Europe, that Turkey is really becoming an
He said he was informed by visiting Turkish Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Ba“”“that many steps are planned to give more rights to Turkish people including minorities. “I welcome this huge step forward,” he stressed.
Anti-Turkish feelings on the riseCommenting on the shrinking public support in Austria for Turkey’s EU bid, Spindelegger said speeding up reforms in human rights and democratization may help overcome public distrust. He partially blamed the nearly
“I think we have to find a common way for the government to make a lot of reforms in order for Turkey to be accepted to the EU. As you know, you have to fulfill criteria to guarantee that the rights and freedoms of the EU are also guaranteed in your country,” he said.
A report last year by ESI, a Berlin-based research and policy group that advocates the EU’s expansion, charges that Austrian politicians have made little effort to explain their position on Turkey to the public and that Austrian institutions have produced little serious research about modern Turkey.
The report revealed that support for Turkish accession had fallen to a mere 5 percent in Austria in 2006 and showed 73 percent of Austrians believed that cultural differences between Turkey and the EU were too significant to allow the country’s accession to the bloc.
The Austrian foreign minister insisted that Ankara could win over Turkey-skeptics if it delivers on these reforms. “You can convince people that Turkey is more interested in becoming a European country which follows democratic principles and human rights as we do in the EU,” he emphasized.
Spindelegger dodged questions on the rise of anti-Turkish sentiment in
He further noted that Turkish politicians ought to encourage the public in Turkey by emphasizing that the EU is the right way for the country. The Austrian diplomat conceded, however, that encouragement from the EU side will boost Ankara’s hand.
Pointing out that business ties between the two countries are on the rise, Spindelegger said, “Turkey is really a huge market for Austrian companies.” He also disclosed that the government and the Austrian business community are very much interested in the Black Sea region, where Turkey claims maritime rights as a littoral country.
Currently the trade volume between the two countries is close to $2 billion, evenly divided between imports and exports.
OMV, the largest energy company in Austria, owns a 42 percent stake in Turkey’s largest petroleum distribution company, Petrol Ofisi. The company announced early in the summer that it intends to take over the remaining shares of Petrol Ofisi.
OMV is also a lead partner in the Nabucco pipeline, which would carry Caspian Sea gas resources to the European market via Turkey.
Integration a big issueThe Austrian minister lamented the lack of integration on the part of the Turkish minority in Austria and said, “Having our Turks not integrated puts more distance between Austrian and Turkish people.” It is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 Turkish immigrants live in Austria; they represent the single largest majority ethnic group there.
He vowed that the government has a plan in place to better integrate Turks in Austria but declined to provide any specifics. “We have a huge challenge. A lot of Turkish people do not like the Austrian way of life. They would like to keep their own way of life,” he said, stressing the need to mix things up. He praised the help he has been getting from the Turkish Embassy in Vienna in a drive to integrate the Turkish community with Austrian society.
Focus on processAs for the opposition of Austria to the full membership of Turkey in the EU, Spindelegger said his government is focused on the process of negotiations, not on the end result. “At the end of this process, both sides will have to decide whether to accept Turkey as a member or not. Also, member states will have a say on that. But this is a decision that has to be taken at the end of the process, not now,” he said, warning that a lot of things can happen in the meantime.
The government still maintains their official position supporting a half measure, a
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