Turkish Presidents underlines importance of EU accession

imgThe country should leave polarization behind and unite for the European Union membership bid, Turkish President Abdullah Gül says in his Eid message.

As the president of a country that has been intensely engaged in the outcomes of regional conflicts as well as domestic polarization in several areas, Abdullah Gül has given a message of unity, presenting the long-neglected European Union full membership goal as one of the main targets requiring nationwide solidarity.

Gül, who as foreign minister had been a key architect of the process leading to the start of full membership negotiations in the autumn of 2005, used a message marking the start of Eid al-Fitr today as an opportunity to popularize the EU issue on the national agenda.

“Very important projects are being implemented in our country, which has risen to the rating of investable in the entire world. The acquisitions Turkey possesses and the values it embraces also show its rising power,” Gül said in a written message on Aug. 7, the eve of Eid.

“That’s why we need to know the value of our country. We all closely know how tensions, polarizations and repetition of old mistakes have brought grief and only grief in the past; have harmed our country’s image; and have wasted our energy. We have all seen together how lawless and violent incidents disrupted the serenity of the entire country. No doubt, it should also not be forgotten that the expression of democratic reactions and societal demands and objections, on legitimate grounds, without harming serenity and without resorting to violence are indispensable elements of our democracy,” Gül said.

“Now it is a must for everybody to focus on our hopeful tomorrows by seeing all of these [facts]. We need to focus on big targets that will carry Turkey above the contemporary civilization level, such as European Union membership, and we need to be in further solidarity,” the president, who has held this post since 2007, said.

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