Turkey in the EU

[Brown, Jon Brow]

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Turkey applied to join 21 years ago but negotiations only started in 2005.

Would it help bridge the gap between East and West? It would mean that the EU had borders with Iraq and Iran.

Or is the EU 'Christian only club'? Turkey would increase the EU Muslim population from 3% to 20%.

Should a country with Turkeys poor record of religious freedom and rights for women be allowed to join?

[Camelopard]

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Turkey applied to join 21 years ago but negotiations only started in 2005.

Would it help bridge the gap between East and West? It would mean that the EU had borders with Iraq and Iran.

Or is the EU 'Christian only club'? Turkey would increase the EU Muslim population from 3% to 20%.

Should a country with Turkeys poor record of religious freedom and rights for women be allowed to join?

Turkey should never ever be admitted to the EU until they admit to the Armenian Genocide and their
current treatment of the Kurds within Turkey proper (ethnic cleansing comes to mind) and have their troops leave Cyprus.

[Camelopard]

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Turkey applied to join 21 years ago but negotiations only started in 2005.

Would it help bridge the gap between East and West? It would mean that the EU had borders with Iraq and Iran.

Or is the EU 'Christian only club'? Turkey would increase the EU Muslim population from 3% to 20%.

Should a country with Turkeys poor record of religious freedom and rights for women be allowed to join?


Turkey should never ever be admitted to the EU until they admit to the Armenian Genocide and their
current treatment of the Kurds within Turkey proper (ethnic cleansing comes to mind) and also have their troops leave occupied North Cyprus.

[Hondo]

Turkey should never ever be admitted to the EU until they admit to the Armenian Genocide and their
current treatment of the Kurds within Turkey proper (ethnic cleansing comes to mind) and also have their troops leave occupied North Cyprus.

Ok......Camelopard votes...uh...no.

Unless somebody comes up with a new, improved, accepted world wide religion, you're not going to bridge anything.

[donKey jote]

Turkey's poor record of religious freedom and rights for women?
I suppose you mean the laicist state forbidding woman wearing headscarves in public office, schools etc :p :

I certainly don't believe entry should be judged on the dominant religion. As far as I'm concerned, if they meet the economic criteria/political stability etc they should be just as welcome as other eastern places like Romania or Ukraine.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[BDunnell]

I genuinely don't have an opinion on this.

[steve_spackman]

Turkey's poor record of religious freedom and rights for women?
I suppose you mean the laicist state forbidding woman wearing headscarves in public office, schools etc :p :

I certainly don't believe entry should be judged on the dominant religion. As far as I'm concerned, if they meet the economic criteria/political stability etc they should be just as welcome as other eastern places like Romania or Ukraine.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

i do believe that the reason why Turkey has been refused entry is because its mainly muslim...they meet the criteria/political stability from what i have heard.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

i do believe that the reason why Turkey has been refused entry is because its mainly muslim...they meet the criteria/political stability from what i have heard.

But it fails to recognise a current Eu member, Cyprus.

[steve_spackman]

But it fails to recognise a current Eu member, Cyprus.

indeed this could/ is causing a problem on them joining.

[donKey jote]

The scaremongering is based on religion, not on Cyprus. Cyprus is conveniently ignored when it comes to things like NATO membership, so I can't really see it as an unsurmountable problem. :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Since I am in Canada..my opinion means little but I think Camelpard has it right. Until the Turks admit that maybe they haven't been good little boys in their sandbox, then they cant come in. The EC is more than economics....it is a membership in a club that means your nation has reached a maturity level in its dealings with others. The Turks have gotten 90% of the way there...but need to atone for their sins. I don't think some of the Eastern European nations should have been put in the EC yet either. Is Croatia or Serbia in the EC yet?

[DonJippo]

I certainly don't believe entry should be judged on the dominant religion. As far as I'm concerned, if they meet the economic criteria/political stability etc they should be just as welcome as other eastern places like Romania or Ukraine.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

:up: DJ agrees with dj on this matter, if the criteria is met then welcome to EU.

[donKey jote]

Good boys?
I guess there are as many chances that they will admit to armenian genocide (how many years ago?) as Japan will to other war crimes, for example. To be honest, who really cares nowadays, aside from those involved whose grandparents were kids at the time or anyone looking for a PC excuse to deny membership ?
As for the Kurds, well maybe Turkey sees them as the Turkish/Iraqi equivalent to Hamas ;) :devil:

Put crassly, Turkey is seen as a land of two peoples, one as more educated, secular and south European - which would be welcome- the other as bunch of illiterate Anatolian donkey-farmers, poppy-growers and/or potential al-qaeda recruits...

Deep down, it's religion and a fear of being swamped by the latter that sends shivers up many spines, specially those of the "christian-democrat" variety.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Mark in Oshawa]

DJ...you are likely right....

[steve_spackman]

Since I am in Canada..my opinion means little but I think Camelpard has it right. Until the Turks admit that maybe they haven't been good little boys in their sandbox, then they cant come in. The EC is more than economics....it is a membership in a club that means your nation has reached a maturity level in its dealings with others. The Turks have gotten 90% of the way there...but need to atone for their sins. I don't think some of the Eastern European nations should have been put in the EC yet either. Is Croatia or Serbia in the EC yet?

i agree with you on THIS one mark ha ha

[donKey jote]

I may add that this secular/religious divide has been part of Turkey itself since the foundation of the modern Turkish state.

Turkey is a funny issue:
Democracy and freedom? Here you have a country where the military sees itself as the guardian of the secular state, and is ready to overthrow goverment if it feels things are getting out of hand.
Current democratic status is islamic majority, secular opposition.
And here in Germany they (2% of the population) have more "freedom" (to wear headscarves) than in Turkey :laugh:
Here's an interesting read on the symbolic meaning of headscarve:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41053

[Captain VXR]

Is Croatia or Serbia in the EC yet?

No they are not, however Croatia are considering joining :)

[Drew]

Most of Turkey is in Asia :arrows:

Will Israel apply too? :p :

[donKey jote]

Well they're in Eurovision so I don't see why not :p :

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Most of Turkey is in Asia :arrows:

Will Israel apply too? :p :

Morocco want to join

Isn't Israel in UEFA?

[ioan]

The scaremongering is based on religion, not on Cyprus. Cyprus is conveniently ignored when it comes to things like NATO membership, so I can't really see it as an unsurmountable problem. :)

1. NATO is controlled by the USA not by the EU.
2. Also Turkey were accepted in NATO because of their strategical geo-position.
3. Romania was a NATO member long before being accepted as a EU member, there are also EU members that are not NATO members, so obviously one has little influence on the other.

I would welcome Turkey in the EU any day.

PS: You are right, the laicity in Turkey is one of the best things they have.

[ioan]

Most of Turkey is in Asia :arrows:


Not all of it.
Also the EU is not a geographically defined union, but rather an economical one.