Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister: Turkey and Ukraine have not received the necessary support from the EU
We need to look very carefully at the reasons why Russia started this war, he said
Bulgaria’s refusal to pay for gas in rubles and the subsequent shutdown of natural gas poses various alternatives to our country. For all of them, it is clear at the moment that there is gas, but its price will certainly be higher than before, as admitted yesterday in “Speak Now” Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov. One of the possibilities for gas supplies is Turkey. Whether we will be able to become a major gas distributor depends on the connection with our southern neighbor, as requested by Deputy Prime Minister Asen Vassilev in Brussels this week.
What are Ankara’s plans and does it expect the country to re-warm its relations with the European Union, said Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Farouk Kaymakci:
Bulgarian National Television (BNT): Mr. Kaikamci, we are in the office where Kemal Ataturk also worked as a military attache in Bulgaria. He says something that we can to some extent connect with the forum you visited in Bulgaria and reads: if the Balkan Union is created, it can open the way to the creation of the European Union. Does it sound relevant to you today?
Interestingly, Ataturk is among the leaders who first used the term European Union. The year is 1932, and the place is Ankara, where he talks to journalists from Balkan countries. Then he imagines an alliance that has its own parliament and even its own army. We can now say that the European Union is one of the most successful examples of unification in the world. I am extremely proud that we are having this conversation in Ataturk’s office, and I would like to add that the other thing he dreams of is peace in our country and peace in the world. Today, Turkish diplomacy is making efforts to do just that. The Balkan countries must become part of the European Union. Among them is Turkey, whose membership I think is a little late. If this had been the case 10-15 years ago, many conflicts and wars today might have been prevented. As in Iraq and Syria. Maybe the war that Russia started against Ukraine. Turkey is important to the European Union both in terms of security and in NATO-EU relations. Unfortunately, our membership is delayed because of the Cyprus issue, and this is hampering fruitful NATO-EU cooperation.
BNT: A message came from Turkey that the country does not approve of the idea of deploying NATO forces in the Black Sea to deter Russia and calls on Bulgaria and Romania to act with restraint. What is behind this?
What is important here is this: there is a war, and Turkey’s desire for a ceasefire as soon as possible and for peace to be achieved. Of course, as one of the important forces in NATO, we also want the Alliance to be strong. However, it is important to avoid actions that would deepen the conflict.
BNT: What is the most important lesson we need to learn from the war in Ukraine?
We need to look very carefully at the reasons why Russia started this war. In my opinion, the most important of them are Russia’s specific policies. But for me, the most important lesson is that we must be unanimous when it comes to protecting and securing Europe. And when we talk about that, the issue of Turkey’s EU membership is even more important. Looking back, Crimea is the other issue on which NATO and the European Union have failed to be more decisive. In the context of what has been achieved. This indecision is among the bad examples. Indecision is one of the reasons why those who want to go to war feel braver. The other lesson is that countries like Turkey and Ukraine, which are important for both the energy and economic security of the European Union and even in terms of emigrant pressure, have not received the necessary support. If Ukraine had been a member of the European Union, we might not have witnessed all this today, and those who started the war would not have been able to stand up to a united and united Europe.
BNT: What were the messages you heard in Sofia? In my opinion, the most important thing seems to be that when we talk about the European Union, we can no longer talk about Ukraine.
For me, one of them is that some Member States must not block enlargement in the name of their national interest. Bilateral disputes must be resolved between the countries concerned, without prejudice to EU membership. This does not contribute to their development. Nor does it benefit the European Union. This will not get us anywhere.
BNT: However, you are talking about the normalization of relations between Turkey and the European Union. What do you mean?
If we compare the situation of the last 4-5 months with that of earlier, now the relations between Turkey and the European Union are much livelier. The European Union sees the importance of Turkey and its weight in foreign policy. Over the last 3 years, relations have been frozen and strained – both in terms of dialogue and in terms of the fight against terrorism and emigrant pressure. Now, in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey’s important role in Europe’s security has been seen again and more is being discussed. The other topic on the agenda is energy security. Turkey is one of the four important energy links for the European Union. One of the gas corridors passes through our country. Turkey has been talking for years about including Mediterranean deposits in the corridor. Amid tensions over gas and oil reserves near Cyprus, Turkey has proposed organizing a Mediterranean conference and launching co-operation, but no progress has been made two years ago. Now there is talk again of diversifying sources and increasing interest in those in the Mediterranean. With regard to the economy, we need to think about the recovery of the economies after the pandemic, and the signing of an updated customs agreement will contribute to that. We are one of the EU’s five most important trading partners. In addition, as Turkey’s EU membership prospects step up, it will boost reforms in the country. This is true for all countries that are candidates for membership. The results of the latest polls show that 79% of the Turkish population supports our country’s membership in the European Union, and 65% are convinced that we can meet the criteria. At the same time, we expect fair treatment.
BNT: Will Turkey become the new energy power in Europe?
We have always said that we are among the key countries for Europe’s energy security. In an hour and a half by plane you can reach 70% of the world’s hydrocarbon reserves. We are an energy hub. Unfortunately, because of the Cyprus issue, we have not been able to make progress on energy cooperation for years. I mean, that important gas corridors pass through our country, and when do we have this opportunity, when we have such sources in our hands, because we are going to immerse 8 billion euros in the Mediterranean? This is not reasonable at all. In addition to hydrocarbon deposits, we need to talk about the transition to a green economy. We are also at the forefront in terms of renewable energy sources. 54% of our energy is renewable and by this indicator we are in fifth place in Europe. We also have serious potential in terms of green energy.
