“It will demonstrate that an alliance of civilizations is possible,” the prime minister said. In addition, Turkey's joining would help the EU address key problems such as the continent's population deficit and its energy security.
Two World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders bolstered Erdogan's argument. “If Turkey were not to join the EU, it would weaken the union,” said Mabel van Oranje, Director, EU Affairs, Open Society Institute, United Kingdom. “We would all lose out.”
If Turkey joins Europe, added Mehmet Gürcan Daimagüler, Honorary Chairman, Liberal Turkish-German Association, Germany, “we would have more democracy in Europe and the world. Europe will lose power without Turkey.”
Participants at the World Economic Forum in Turkey agreed that Turkey must stay the course in pursuit of EU membership, while Europe should not let issues such as Cyprus derail what would be a major opportunity for both sides.
Turkey had done much to achieve economic and political stability, boost its global competitiveness, and reform its economy and society over the past four years, but it has much more to do.
Turkey, he said, should try to better understand the enormous transformation that Europe is undergoing. “We are all in this process together,” Halberstadt noted. Indeed, gaining membership in the EU has always been an arduous process.
“The alliance of civilizations is the antidote to the clash of civilizations,” Sutherlandconcluded. “Turkey is not a supplicant. It is a major player in the world in which we live. We are not dealing with easy issues. Neither Europe nor Turkey will see this as a dialogue of constant remonstration but it should be a dialogue of constant reconciliation.”
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