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Message of the President of the Republic of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer : “I am confident...” Turkey has been a part of the European system for centuries. In constant cultural and social interaction with many European countries, it has developed and maintained strong and intricate ties with Europe. Five years ago Turkey was officially declared as a "candidate" for full membership in the European Union. Since then, there has been a steady, radical and resolute political and legislative reform process in our country. The ongoing reform and transformation activities draw strength not only from our European membership perspective, but also from the legitimate aspirations of our nation to attain higher political, economic and social standards. This process has the support of all segments of the Turkish society, thus making it particularly stronger. As the decision whether to initiate European Union accession negotiations with Turkey draws closer, the debate on its strategic implications for both Turkey and the Union is intensifying. Turkish people expect nothing less than the forthcoming European Union summit to become a milestone in her long quest to achieve full membership status in the European Union.
There exist growing and expanding political, economic and social ties that bind Turkey and the European Union together. Similarly, common political, economic and strategic interests establish a strong bond between Turkey and the Union providing an additional momentum to our candidacy. We are conscious that the effective implementation of the reforms and harmonisation efforts will be important as regards the initiation process of our accession negotiations. I can only note that what we have accomplished so far is a testimony to what we intend to achieve in the future. I am confident that the adoption of a far-sighted and comprehensive approach by our European partners will lead them to endorse the right decision in December 2004. Moreover, in line with the assu-rances from our European interlocutors, we expect that our candidacy will be judged on the same terms as those of other candidates. This gives me the hope that the outcome of the December EU summit is less likely to create major disillusionment in Turkey. The true merits of our candidacy have so far not been given a fair and objectives treatment by the European public opinion in general. This certainly does not facilitate our task of bringing Turkey closer to the European Union. Much of the adverse propaganda from which our candidacy suffers is largely due to the lack of knowledge on the part of some of our critics. We realize that we should do more to overcome certain misperceptions and we are doing it. I am happy to witness that there are also those in Europe who can objectively and impartially analyze the potential political, economic, social and cultural effects of Turkey's future accession to the European Union. This can only strengthen our European cause. In the meantime, it should not be forgotten that the Union itself is likely to experience major transformation in the next decade. For that reason, in the process of redefining its role as a global actor in the 21st century, I believe that the European Union should place more emphasize on Turkey's overall impact and likely contributions on the future of the Union as a pivotal partner in her wider region and in the world. No doubt, Turkey's future accession to the European Union poses significant challenges for all concerned. A comprehensive assessment of the implications of embarking accession negotiations with Turkey should focus not only on the arguments of its opponents, but it should underline the numerous benefits that it will bring about. It should be borne in mind that what Turkey has to contribute to the Europe Union is not only conformity, but also originality. Therefore, Turkey's eventual European Union membership is much about assets than it is about liabilities. The outcome of the European Council meeting next December, will not only be a clear indication of Europe's credibility to fulfil its commitments, but it will also have global implications and vital geopolitical ramifications. Turkey has done her part to fully comply with the Copenhagen criteria. I would like to invite now my fellow European leaders to face up to their challenging, yet crucial responsibility.