Keep it up Turkey, you know what's best

format_quote Originally Posted by wilberhum

I wonder why the government does not agree with you.

I think every one would be better off if you got your way.

40% of turkish dont want to be a member of eu....
the remaining dont know why they want eu membership..ın my eyes turkey is more developed than each european country..

format_quote Originally Posted by wilberhum

So why are they trying to join the EU?
The EU didn't ask them to join.

because it became a must for turkey. turkey has always been considered as a european country because of its strategic geopolitical location. its location resulted inclose relationships with european countries. these official ties need turkey to join this union. and remember this effort to get into EU has a long history it dates back to 60s. in these times it was a kind of salvation and means of development as the union came with many incentives.anyway, but now turkey is much stronger. though it does not need euorpean powers that much anymore, it still needs to have an allience with them. giving it up will also eat up all these year's endeavour. thus we have to go to the end this way or that way. we cant let it go any more. but it doesnot mean that we are miserably depend on it. it is part of politics anyway....

format_quote Originally Posted by mine

because it became a must for turkey. turkey has always been considered as a european country because of its strategic geopolitical location. its location resulted inclose relationships with european countries. these official ties need turkey to join this union. and remember this effort to get into EU has a long history it dates back to 60s. in these times it was a kind of salvation and means of development as the union came with many incentives.anyway, but now turkey is much stronger. though it does not need euorpean powers that much anymore, it still needs to have an allience with them. giving it up will also eat up all these year's endeavour. thus we have to go to the end this way or that way. we cant let it go any more. but it doesnot mean that we are miserably depend on it. it is part of politics anyway....

I hope Turkey joins the EU eventually, its a beautiful country. But opposition from both Islamist and extreme nationalists in Turkey and Islamophobes in Western Europe is pretty large though . I doubt it will happen any time soon, if ever .

Why do they have an image of Ataturk on their homepage?

first of all image of Ataturk is an icon of republic of turkey. it is obligated to be hung on goverment offices and most people hang it even in private places. it has nothing to do with AKP's agenda. it has just symbolic value. EU issue is more complicated than this. people have trust on it because of its economic benefits. but most people are against it as it makes turkey accept european norms. what drives these people crazy is E Commission's attitudes and its neverending demands. turkey is not worse than bulgaria or poland. they do this just because we are muslim. they are affraid if we enter EU it will shatter the christian integrity of it thus they try to extend this process. this is really annoying.

turkey has worked hard on it so far. if it gives it up, all these efforts will be wasted. people will be disappointed. now is not the time to quit. thus AKP gives promises about it. it is understandable.

EU welcomes Erdogan election win
The EU has welcomed Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's election victory, and urged him to relaunch reforms which could lead to membership of the bloc.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said a new Turkish government would need to make "concrete progress" on freedom of expression and religion.

Mr Erdogan has pledged to "work with determination" towards EU membership.

He won a second five-year term in office after his AK Party increased its share of the vote to 46% on Sunday.

The election was called after opposition parties in parliament blocked the AKP's nominee for the post of president, causing political deadlock.

But despite his electoral victory, Mr Erdogan will lack the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to be able force through his candidate.

'Major challenges ahead'
On Monday, the EU officials congratulated Mr Erdogan on his party's victory, describing it as a mandate for the reforms it wants Turkey to complete during its membership talks.

However, the bloc's enlargement commissioner said the new Turkish government faced "major challenges ahead".

"It is essential that the new government will relaunch the legal and economic reforms with full determination and concrete results," Mr Rehn said.

"We need to see concrete progress on such fundamental freedoms as the freedom of expression, the freedom of religion."

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, also welcomed the victory, saying the vote came "at an important moment for the people of Turkey".

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said it was very important for Europe to "reach out" to the new government.

"A stable and secure political situation in Turkey is massively in our interest and we will certainly want to be taking forward our links with this very important country," he added.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said everyone was interested in having a "modern, dynamic, successful Turkey as a partner".

"We expect this government that has a good track record over the past years to continue with even more ambition," she said.

Majority reduced
Correspondents have warned, however, that Mr Erdogan's mandate for reform may be limited by the workings of the Turkish electoral system.

Although the AKP has been returned to power with a larger share of the vote - 12 percentage points more than in 2002 - its share of the seats has dropped to 340 out of the 550 in parliament.

The main secularist opposition group, the Republican People's Party, also increased its share of the vote, but its number of seats fell by more than 60 to 112.

The two main parties have fewer seats because the right-wing Nationalist Action Party (MHP) passed the 10% threshold to enter parliament, unlike in 2002.

This time, the MHP won 71 seats with 14% of the vote.

No other parties passed the threshold, although 28 independent candidates, including more than 20 members of the Kurdish Democratic Society Party, won seats.

It is the first time in more than a decade that a Kurdish party is represented in parliament.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...pe/6912221.stm

Published: 2007/07/23 17:35:03 GMT

© BBC MMVII

I think the AK party is the best of both worlds really. They can be friends of both the West and more orthodox Muslims. For now at least, I'm not sure how long they can keep that up.

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaron85

Which country particularly you mean, England, Germany or France maybe?

ı said ezch of the eurepean countries....it includes deutschland,frnace,englan,italy,portugal,holland,b elgium.....

format_quote Originally Posted by mine

Why do they have an image of Ataturk on their homepage?

first of all image of Ataturk is an icon of republic of turkey. it is obligated to be hung on goverment offices and most people hang it even in private places. it has nothing to do with AKP's agenda. it has just symbolic value. EU issue is more complicated than this. people have trust on it because of its economic benefits. but most people are against it as it makes turkey accept european norms. what drives these people crazy is E Commission's attitudes and its neverending demands. turkey is not worse than bulgaria or poland. they do this just because we are muslim. they are affraid if we enter EU it will shatter the christian integrity of it thus they try to extend this process. this is really annoying.

I agree. But Muslim-Western relations are quite bad right now. Once they improve so will the chances of Turkey being treated like a 'normal' EU candidate country. Understand that Westerners also feel their 'Christian' identity threatened, like many Turks who feel their Muslim identity would be under pressure from the EU.

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaron85

Which country particularly you mean, England, Germany or France maybe?

format_quote Originally Posted by KAding

But this isn't part of the AK party program, right? From the AK party program on their website:


So why are you so happy they won then? Do you believe they have a hidden agenda? Are they lying in their party program? Why do they have an image of Ataturk on their homepage?

This is all so confusing. It's as if everyone thinks the AK party stands for things the AK party themselves claim are not standing for. Do all these people know something about the AK party that I do not?

ı dont like europe,ı like ak party because only "conservative" party is ak party in turkey...ak party is supporter of secularism or they are not opposite of secularism,so it is normal that they have an image of atatürk on their home-page...

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaron85

First of all, the christian integrity and heritage is the last thing that concerns the european beaurocrats in Brussels. Trust me .

But its not the bureaucrats in Brussels that decide on what countries can join, its the heads of state, in other words the national politicians.

format_quote Originally Posted by Aaron85

Which country particularly you mean, England, Germany or France maybe?

each of the european country ı said....england,france,germany,spain,portugal,.... ...

eu will never joın with us....because we are muslims...an eu is a union of christian states...

format_quote Originally Posted by yigiter187

eu will never joın with us....because we are muslims...an eu is a union of christian states...

Some people just can’t grasp the concept of “Secularism”.

format_quote Originally Posted by wilberhum

Some people just can’t grasp the concept of “Secularism”.

then say the reason that they wont joın with turkey...?
are bulgaria,romania,slovenia,hungary etc.. better countries than turkey...or more important countries than turkey?