Negative trends eroding EU values: Top Turkish diplomat

ANKARA

A number of malignant rising trends in Europe erode the values represented by the EU, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Friday.

“Trends such as populism, racism, and Islamophobia that are rising in Europe have eroded the values represented by the EU itself,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told his counterparts in the opening speech for the informal meeting of South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

Cavusoglu, chairing the meeting in Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya, said the union was the pioneer for change and development for many regional countries in the integration process, especially in 1990s and the beginning of 2000s.

Turkey, a country which has integrated with the EU in many areas, wishes the bloc to be successful in line with its foundation ideals, Cavusoglu stressed.

Turkey also wishes the EU to "unite" rather than being "discriminative".

‘West Balkans and Turkey separation not right’

Welcoming the EU’s decision to start “belated” accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia, Cavusoglu said: “We do not find the separation of ‘West Balkans and Turkey’ right, as it ignores the status of Turkey’s EU accession.”

He noted that Turkey’s strategic priority is full membership to the EU and called on the bloc to be “visionary, and stick to its principles and pledges”.

Cavusoglu said that for around 25 years, Turkey has taken significant steps to improve regional cooperation and solidarity through SEECP, and added: “We aim to strengthen this cooperation during our presidency that we have undertaken for the third time.”

“We have set our priorities by considering our common challenges such as brain drain, intra-regional connectivity, migration and trade,” he said, adding that these are the common problems that need common solutions.

Touching the novel coronavirus pandemic across the world, Cavusoglu said it reminded everyone the importance of global and regional cooperation.

He said Turkey responded the medical supply demands of 155 countries in the framework of its humanitarian foreign policy.

“We helped 91 foreign nationals in many evacuation operations,” he said, referring to the early stages of the pandemic when countries closed their air spaces to curb the virus’s spread.

People and economies have adapted to the “new normal”, while all countries should act in coordination and share their experience in fighting the pandemic, Cavusoglu added.

Turkey successfully implements safe tourism

Noting that the concept of safe tourism is being successfully implemented in Turkey, Cavusoglu said the country is ready to exchange knowledge and experience in this regard.

Cavusoglu suggested that as a precaution for similar challenges in the future, a regional emergency management center could be set up.

“I suggest establishing a permanent cooperation mechanism between our pandemic coordination centers.

“We have received the fruits of this practice, which has been implemented in international platforms such as the G-20 and the Turkic Council,” he said.

Cavusoglu also noted that more projects like Green Corridors -- an international fast-track transport line for essential goods -- need to be produced to prevent disruptions in regional transportation and trade network.

He emphasized that expanding connectivity and strengthening supply chains rather than building walls on borders would solve the problems.

Among the attendees of the meeting are the foreign ministers of Albania, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova.

*Writing by Sena Guler