Ankara reiterates customs union would play vital role in bettering ties with EU
The customs union with EU has enabled multiple mutual gains to date, Trade Minister Pekcan said, but reiterated that the current structure no longer sufficiently meets today’s requirements
TURKEY has once again stated that the current customs union with the European Union lags in its ability to fulfill today’s needs, with officials stressing that modernization of the deal would benefit both sides.
Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan and European Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi both stressed that they were ready to work toward a more positive agenda, according to a statement issued yesterday. Updating the customs union with the EU is a “key element” for making progress in ties, Pekcan told the virtual meeting with Varhelyi, during which the officials discussed bilateral ties, including trade matters and cooperation.
“ON every occasion, we emphasize that our strategic goal is full EU membership,” Trade Minister Pekcan said. “We approach our relations with the EU with this understanding.”
There are many opportunities for a positive agenda in Turkey-EU ties, she stressed, expressing readiness to boost related efforts.
European Enlargement Commissioner Varhelyi noted that the EU also strives for a positive agenda with Turkey.
“We see it as beneficial for both sides to continue their joint and constructive work for this agenda,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself also vowed Turkey’s commitment to improving relations with the EU over the last two months as he reiterated that Ankara prioritizes the EU in its agenda and sees its future in Europe.
Erdoğan said Turkey hopes to start afresh with the bloc in the new year. Interactions with the EU in 2020 were unproductive due to the artificial problems created by certain EU members, the president said last month.
The customs union relationship, one of the stages of the full membership process, has enabled multiple mutual gains to date, Pekcan said. But, she reiterated that the current structure no longer sufficiently meets today’s requirements.
Varhelyi also confirmed that the modernization of the agreement would yield positive results for both sides. He recalled that the matter was submitted to the approval of the European Union Council.
Turkish and European officials have over the last couple of years carried out talks on revising the current deal. Although the talks have been stalled as a result of political tensions, business
circles and officials on both sides have endeavored to maintain dialogue.
Turkey is the only non-EU country with a customs union agreement with the bloc. The deal was struck with the EU in 1995. In its Dec. 21, 2016, assessment, the European Commission proposed revamping the deal.
The current deal only covers a limited range of industrial products and excludes agriculture, public procurement, e-commerce and services.
Officials have said with the inclusion of these sectors, bilateral trade between Turkey and the EU could reach $300 billion (TL 2.15 trillion), a substantial
increase from the current $165 billion.
Pointing to the importance of expanding the agreement to include new areas such as e-commerce and services, Pekcan said the business community in EU countries also supports this process.
Along these lines, she pointed to the EU Leaders Summit this March, where concrete steps are expected to be taken.
Regarding EU rules on steel products, she said its measures should be revised according to the agreements and spirit of partnership between the two parties.
“The EU should adopt an approach worthy of the importance of bilateral
relations, and the obstacles to the introduction of Turkish steel to the EU market in accordance with competition rules should be removed,” the minister said. Pekcan also evaluated the effects of the European Green Deal on the customs union, stressing that the steps the EU takes in this context should not turn into protectionism but instead focus on developing cooperation that will contribute to the EU’s strategic goals. As a membership candidate and customs union partner of the EU, “it is critical for Turkey to have access to funding created for green transformation,” she said.
TURKEY yesterday announced the start of a new phase in its domestic counterterrorism operations in the country’s southeast.
Operation Eren-11 Sehi Forests has been launched in the eastern Bitlis and southeastern Siirt provinces with 781 personnel from the gendarmerie, police and village guards, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the ongoing Operation Eren is being carried out with determination.
The operation is named after Eren Bülbül, a 15-yearold killed by the PKK terrorist group on Aug. 11, 2017. The fresh operation aims to eliminate the separatist PKK terror group and clear the region of terrorists.
Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks in Turkey. Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) also previously called the PKK’s presence in Sinjar unacceptable and urged the militants to leave the area.
In northern Iraq, Turkey launched operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle in June to ensure the safety of the Turkish people and borders by eliminating the threat of the PKK and other terrorist groups. Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate threats posed to its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorists.
TERRORISTS REVEAL EXECUTION ORDERS
PKK terrorists recently executed 13 Turkish citizens in a cave in northern Iraq after abducting them and shooting most of them in the head.
Surrendered PKK members revealed late Tuesday that they were ordered by high-ranking militants to execute the Turkish citizens they had been holding captive in the cave in northern Iraq.
“If an operation starts, if something breaks out, if reinforcements fail to arrive, we were told to kill the hostages. He (the PKK commander) ordered that we would kill the Turkish hostages, police officers, soldiers. He told us to do this,” Osman Acer, a PKK terrorist who surrendered to the Turkish security forces said in testimony.
Muslim organizations on Tuesday strongly condemned vandalism of an underconstruction mosque in Strasbourg with Islamophobic graffiti.
The words, “No to Islam, go back to your village,” were sprayed across the fence on the site of the Eyyub Sultan Mosque, which, once completed, will be Europe’s largest Muslim place of worship.
In a video statement, the Milli Görüş Islamic Confederation (CIMG), the group overseeing the construction of the mosque, expressed disappointment at the Islamophobic and racist message.
“There is no material damage, but the symbolism is strong,” said a tweet from the official handle of the mosque.
“However, this incident reflects the deleterious climate that France is going through today. Indeed, the trivialization of remarks targeting Muslims in media discourse demeans the enemies of living together,” it added.
A 21-year-old man detained by police admitted to having committed the vandalism, Strasbourg prosecutor’s office said, French daily Derniers Nouvelles d’Alsace (DNA) reported.
He was released before his next appearance on prior admission of guilt, the report said. The motive or intent behind the vandalism is still unknown.
CIMG said in the last weeks it had received several threatening messages, which the authorities failed to respond to.
The recent vandalism received widespread criticism by national bodies like the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) and the Union of Mosques (UMF).
The Grand Mosque of Strasbourg said the abject act of hatred and intolerance “aims to divide the national community and to pit religious communities against each other, while they live in perfect harmony.”
On Sunday, another mosque, this time in Spain, was targeted with an explosion and the incident was condemned by the local community.