The Turks don't support Turkey's entrance into the EU as strongly as they once did, and the Turkish Foreign Minister says that that is the fault of, you guessed it, the EU. Displacement of Responsibility Alert: "FM Gul Blames EU Leaders for Plunge in Turkish Support for EU," from zaman.com, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul blamed some European leaders for the plunge in Turkish public support for the European Union (EU).Gul told a press conference on Friday after his US visit that the remarks of some EU leaders, who cater to their domestic politics without considering the impact of these remarks in Turkey, are responsible for the drop in support for the EU.
A Eurobarometer poll, carried in April over 1000 people in Turkey, found that only 43 percent of Turks have a positive image of the union. The recent figure shows a plunge in Turkish support for the EU over a six-month period, as the corresponding figure was 60 percent six months earlier.
FM Gul stated that the European side should act responsibly to prepare the Turkish public. Gul noted; however, that the exaggeration of certain issues in Turkey was partly responsible for the fall in Turkish support for EU membership. Foreign Minister Gul pledged that the ruling AKP would take measures to tackle the fall in Turkish support for the union.
Most of the Turkish people are unhappy with the EU stance on Cyprus, PKK terrorism, the so-called Armenian issue and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy. Remarkable numbers of Turks believe that the EU the cynical intention to divide Turkey.
In other words, the Turks are offended by talk of human rights and religious freedom.
Unceasing EU demands on the Turkish government and increasing pressure over Cyprus are seen as the main reasons why Turkish people have begun to turn their back to the European Union. The more EU leaders criticize Turkey, the more nationalist sentiment gains ground in Turkey.
Fine. Let's just forget the whole thing, shall we?
The bed that you make
That's the one you gotta lie on
When you point, your finger cos your plan fell through
You got three more fingers pointing back at you
Mark Knopfler
I was not aware that we Europeans were so instrumental in bringing down Turkish support for the EU.
However, that being the case, let me contribute to the effort:
To any Turks out there: get out of Cyprus immediately, give the Kurds their independence now, recognize your role in the genocide of the Armenians and let them return to their homeland.
As for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy, I have no clue what's that all about, but I'm sure you do. So mend your islamic ways and do what's expected of you.
If you fail to comply with any of the above, we will get cynical and we will divide you.
The island of Cyprus needs to be purged of its Islamic occupiers in the north.
i dont care if Turks want to join EU or Not they still need to get out of north Cyprus my family who where driven out of there homes years ago when turkey invaded north cyprus still want there homes back
they dont want to join EU becasue it gives turkey excuse to stay in north cyprus which they are illegally occupying
The turks should be thankful to the EU for Cyprus. The EU and the US have equated the invaded with the invader in a weird twist of moral relativism. If it was any other country turkey would have been forced to leave years ago. And where are these muslim countries that denounce Israel everyday claiming their support for the palestinians has nothing to do with religion. Yet they say nothing to Turkey.
pissedofcanadian your right i have always heard muslims say that palestine is occupied illegally and that to them its not about religion but how comes muslims dont say nothing about Turkey illegally occupying Cyprus?
the OIC(The Organization of the Islamic Conference) wants to recognise the illegal turkish occupied north Cyprus but they wouldnt recognise isreal why is that if muslims say its not nothing to do with religion?
Many European leaders are more than happy for Turkey to take over, sorry, join the EU, indeed most of the EU is still hell bent on the EU joining Turkey, that was not a typo either. I have this message from the UK to both Turkey and the EU.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c310/icedragonbritannia/a0c0ba3f.jpg
Keep the UK independent, of the EU and Islam!
I don't understand the whole point of an EU membership of Turkey. The Europeans themselves don't want it (including myself), many European leaders are not so happy with it (with the sole exception of the English), the Turkish public is also in majority against. The only people who actually want to make an EU-member of Turkey, is the Turkish government, the United States (propably pursuing the right goals with the wrong means) and England (for reasons unknown).
However, the EU-membership of Turkey will NEVER materialize.
Maybe Turkey should form an economic union with Iran and Iraq and Syria and Jordan etc instead. And give them free right to immigrate there.
See how they like it...
They can join, but only one day a year.
Thanksgiving.
(Europe can provide the stuffing.)
At one time Turkey was a secular state. In a very short time (it seems), they've Islamized themselves and are becoming our enemy. What happened?
Maybe Turkey could try restarting its former Seljuk empire, which included every country west of India. All countries except Kazakhstan, the Arabian peninsula and Israel.
They'd be thrilled by the beeline into Anatolia. Also, let Istanbul get its own ghettos of Arabs, Kurds, Turkoman, Pathan, Uzbeg, et al. Let's see how the Turks handle it.
Mr Gul should be told we are not dhimmis responsible for his mistakes. We're not dhimmis at all.
I think the entire concept of the European Union was badly conceived. I read the entire proposed European Constitution (hundreds and hundreds of pages long). And I came away from it convinced that this mess should never come close to being implemented.
It's a bad idea for Britain, and with Britain our strongest ally in Europe, that makes it a bad idea for the U.S. as well.
Even the French people rejected the EU already. It's only a certain group of politicians and bureaucrats who won't admit when it's dead.