23 November 2007
Bosphorus University, Istanbul
Justice Secretary Jack Straw spoke about the importance to Turkey, Europe and the wider world in maintaining the pace of reform in Turkey and the onward path to EU accession.
2001 to 2006, the five years during which I was the British Foreign Secretary, will be viewed by future historians as one of the most turbulent periods of any decade since the Second World War.
And much of the work of any Foreign Minister, whether from the United Kingdom, Turkey or indeed anywhere else, is spent grappling with problems and crises whose origins were well beyond their, or their nation's, control.
Most crucially, we all had to grapple, as we still do, with the aftermath of the world's largest ever terrorist outrage on September 11, 2001.
But during my five years as Foreign Secretary there was much else besides.
India and Pakistan came close to war; there have been continuing crises in the Middle East; the challenge of the relationship with Iran; the Balkans; huge instability in parts of Africa.
The list is endless.
Part of the job was trying to make a difference at the margin, managing the fall-out of events beyond your control.
However, there was also the opposite; the chance to create, to make a positive difference, to change your nation's history for the better.
Whenever I have been asked, since I left the post as British Foreign Secretary 18 months ago, of what I was most proud I am never in the least doubt about the answer.
It comes in that second category.
In one word, it is Turkey.
My proudest moment?
It is sitting alongside my close friend, then Turkish Foreign Minister, now your President His Excellency Abdullah Gul, at the press conference in the small hours of the morning of the 4 October 2005 in Luxembourg, to announce that after weeks of heavy negotiations, and hours spent locked in meeting rooms, the EU had unanimously agreed actively to begin negotiations for Turkish accession.
One of the awards I most treasure is the one I received here in Istanbul in January of last year, the TUSIAD Bosphorus Prize for European Understanding.
I could not have done what I did without the very active support of the British Prime Minister of the time, Tony Blair, and not only the whole of his Government but of our Parliament too.
Those of you who know the United Kingdom, know that Europe, by which I mean the European Union, is rarely other than a highly divisive issue between (and sometimes within), our political parties.
So, it is all the more striking that there has long been bi-partisan agreement in favour of the expansion of the EU and especially in favour of Turkey's membership.
Why are we so committed?
First because Turkey is part of Europe and profoundly so.
Turkey's engagement with the rest-of-the-West and vice-versa has carried on unbroken through post war history. Our todays and our tomorrows are intertwined.
Lest we forget it, Turkey was a founding member of the Council of Europe. It has been a rock-solid, steadfast, military ally. With the agreement of the United States, the UK, France and others, Turkey was invited to join NATO as far back as 1952. Throughout the Cold War, Turkey was one of only two NATO countries that shared a border with the Soviet Union. It has continued to play a key part in collective defence and peace-keeping operations right up to the present day now most notably in Afghanistan.
Second, because there is more at stake here than Turkey's future. This is about the whole of Europe's future too. And it is of paramount importance for the whole international community.
One of the most significant threats faced today by civilised nations comes from the barbarism of international terrorism, from a violent and misguided ideology that seeks to drive a wedge between Western and Islamic cultures, and to resurrect a bloody past long since buried. As your Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said; The idea of 'Christian Europe' belongs to the Middle Ages. It should be left there.
A stable, prosperous Turkey anchored in the EU would be a powerful symbol indeed that that the true divide lies not between our cultures but between the vast majority of civilised people across the world and the uncivilised few who use terror to destroy the common values and beliefs which bind the rest of us.
Turkey is a secular nation with a majority Muslim population. By welcoming Turkey into Europe we will prove how two cultures can not only exist together, but thrive together, as partners in the modern world. Accession means a more pluralist, tolerant and inclusive Turkey and a more pluralist, tolerant and inclusive Europe.
Europe has already demonstrated its power to heal division, in welcoming those nations for so long kept apart from us by the Iron Curtain. Following that long night in Luxembourg a little over two years ago, Europe now has the chance to achieve something every bit as important by fully bringing Turkey into the fold.
If I am proud of my role in making this happen, as I am proud, I am hugely admiring of the leadership shown by Prime Minister Erdogan and by President Gul and their AKP Government in not just having a vision but in seeing it through.
As I am now frustrated with the difficulties being placed in the way.
Any accession process, particularly of a large country whose presence is bound to change the metrics of decision making, is bound to be tough. It was for the UK. We were vetoed for membership twice. Once in, it required a considerable period of adjustment as has been the case for many successful applicant countries.
But, statesmen and women across Europe need to take care with Turkey's future.
If the English poet John Donne was correct in saying in the17th Century: No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main, how much more true is that now in the 21st Century.
What we do elsewhere in Europe can profoundly affect the political and economic conditions in Turkey itself. We elsewhere in Europe must be mindful of our words and of our deeds. But in the same vein, now is the time for Turkey to demonstrate once again to itself, to the region and to the wider world, its undoubted courage and leadership during this forthcoming period.
The international community well recognises the threat posed by the terrorist organisation the PKK, just as we recognise the admirable restraint Turkey has shown in its response; in the face of entirely understandable and significant public pressure.
Our hearts go out to the families, the friends and the comrades of those killed.
We unreservedly condemn the terrorist attacks carried out by the PKK, and the tragic loss of life caused as we do wherever and whenever terrorism rears its head.
Just as we have worked together in the fight against al-Qaeda so tragically realised just over four years ago to this day, when bombers murdered 59 and injured over 700 people in attacks on two synagogues, and suicide bomb attacks on the HSBC bank and on the British Consulate so too we will help you deal with the threat of the PKK. We were both united in our mourning then, as we are unwavering in our resolve now. It is an illusion that security lies in turning inward.
On the PKK, it is in all our interests to support Iraq's territorial integrity and stability, and to use the full weight of the international community to bring about a resolution. Turkey is right to be dealing with this through dialogue with the Iraqi Government and others, and by giving time to diplomacy.
Britain is working very hard with the United States, with the EU and with Iraq to apply pressure and to see concrete action on tackling the PKK, improving border security and preventing Iraqi territory being used as a base for attacks on Turkey.
Across Europe we are working to ensure that the PKK, its aliases and its sub-groups are not able to use European territory for generating financial or material support. Indeed as British Home Secretary in 2000, I banned the PKK in the UK, just as it is now a proscribed organisation across the EU.
Violent threats to the security of any nation requires a firm and immediate law and order response. But that response is best underpinned by sustaining the conditions in which democracy can thrive.
Enlargement of the EU is by far Europe's most powerful tool for extending stability and prosperity, and for securing solutions to a host of historic national disputes, including, I hope, settlement of the long running issue of Cyprus, divided since 1974.
Turkey is of huge strategic importance for our continent and its wider region in every way.
This is not just about where you are; a coincidence of geography the bridge over the Bosphorus, the link between East and West or the neighbours you share. But of who you are an inspiration to all those who wish to show that Islam and democracy are able to live side by side.
Turkey already makes a substantial contribution to regional stability, as shown in your of hosting talks between Israel and Pakistan, and yet more recently between Presidents Karzai and Musharraf.
Turkey is playing a key role in supporting political and economic progress on Iraq, in particular through the Iraq neighbours initiative. We are also working together on economic development in Basra, looking at the possibility of creating a secure industrial zone. Indeed, Turkey has a wider economic development role in the region. Last week, Presidents Abbas and Peres were here to sign an agreement to launch another Turkish-sponsored industrial zone in the West Bank, potentially creating 10,000 jobs for Palestinians.
With channels in to Syria and Iran your potential in progressing peace in the region is enormous. I think members of the European Union should regularly remind themselves of this potential in representing our collective interests.
Your contribution in Afghanistan as part of the multinational forces there, is greatly valued; like your presence in Kabul; the reconstruction work you are carrying out in the Wardak region, the building of schools for girls in a country where for so long women were denied the most basic of rights.
So too is your work to tackle organised crime and drugs. Turkish customs today are seizing ten times the amount of heroin they were just five years ago, starting to close off a major supply route for drugs and for human-trafficking.
Or take the issue of energy. The Bosphorus is already a key supply route for the world's energy needs with 10% of the world's tradable oil production passing through Turkey.
As the 16th biggest economy in the world, Turkey's economic growth is faster than any in the current European Union. Half of Turkey's trade is already with the EU. It is already a major market for EU exporters, with bilateral trade between Turkey and the UK being worth over US$10 billion each year. It is also a country which has attracted foreign investment to the tune of over US$20 billion in 2006 alone hard evidence that the private sector has firm faith in Turkey's future.
All this has been made possible by the huge strides forward made domestically, and the marked political progress we have recently seen.
That more than 80% of voters turned out for this summer's elections is a chastening example for the so-called more established democracies around the world. The last time we had a turnout of that magnitude in the UK was more than 50 years ago. There can be no clearer signal of the desire for democracy of the Turkish people.
An ambitious reform programme has been led with distinction by the President and the Prime Minister, I am sure you will continue this momentum of change.
But as President Gul said himself: we have to carry out these reforms not because others want them, but for our people and by ourselves.
Your Government's commitment towards ensuring full exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms by every individual is welcomed by Europe, and as a friend, I can say that I look forward to seeing more rapid progress.
Universal human rights are among the strongest bonds which unite peoples separated by language, culture or great distance. They are the common values, the thread which helped stitch Europe together following the horrors of World War II.
These rights remain one of the greatest symbols of human progress that all men and women have equal rights based on common humanity not on wealth, nationality or status.
And the words of your President are as relevant in United Kingdom or in any democracy across the globe as they are here in Turkey:
The world has long learned not to fear fundamental freedoms; similarly, we also need to claim ownership of our freedoms as our most vital values under all circumstances.
Under all circumstances that is the challenge for any government. Not least the government of any nation faced with the threat of terrorism as we are in the UK, as you are here.
I hope very much that the strong mandate will be used to revitalise reform, to continue at greater pace to improve rights for women, for minorities, to continue to improve access to justice, to further freedom of expression, judicial reform. Progress has been dramatic. The death penalty has been abolished. Taboos have been broken on the Kurdish issue. Mindsets are changing. Turkey is now a great deal closer than it was to European standards.
But to change a culture it is more than laws that have to change. It also requires modern public institutions in which the public have confidence. It is the same process of democratic renewal which I am responsible for leading in Britain.
It has been a pleasure to return this week to Turkey as Secretary of State for Justice, and see for myself the positive work that is being carried out between my own Ministry of Justice in the UK and the Justice Ministry in Ankara. Yesterday I visited the 'Ankara Probation and Help Centre' and was enormously impressed with what I saw there, particularly because Turkey has been working closely with officials and experts from my department. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the Probation Service in the UK, and it is remarkable to see quite how much has been achieved here in just two years, let alone 100; 133 centres opened and 1,300 staff recruited and trained so far.
Similarly, the setting up of an Independent Police Complaints Commission will bring greater openness and accountability to the operation of the law enforcement agencies.
But emphatically this is not just a one way process. There is much we have and continue to learn from you. For instance, in respect of the excellent IT system being used in your courts, of which a delegation from my Ministry of Justice was exceedingly jealous.
Conclusion
We are at a defining moment in the partnership between Turkey and Europe. How the EU's member states proceed will shape the nature of our relationship and all our futures.
As my friend and colleague, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, said on his recent visit:
The EU represents a triumph of shared values. Now we need to find and express shared values across religious and not just national lines, so that Europe and its Muslim neighbours enjoy strong, unbreakable ties.
He is entirely correct. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity to cement these ties.
This, something that Prime Minister Erdogan noted back in 2005 when he said;
What do you gain by adding 99% Muslim Turkey to the EU? You gain a bridge between the EU and the 1.5 billion-strong Islamic world.
To achieve this requires both Turkey and the EU to be resolute on the path to accession. For Turkey to go further, faster particularly in addressing the priorities identified in the recent European Commission report. For Europe, we must not go back on our word.
I'd like to echo Jose Manual Barroso, President of the European Commission: We voted unanimously in favour, and must carry on down this road. The EU must keep its commitments to Turkey, but Turkey's pace of its own reforms and its meeting of the other conditions will inevitably help determine how fast the accession process moves.
You have the political mandate, you have the will of the Turkish people and you have the support of the UK and many friends across Europe.
I would like to conclude my remarks this afternoon by completing the quotation which I began earlier from that great English poet John Donne:
If a clod be washed away by the sea Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind.
For all the benefits of politics, economics, trade, defence, security let us not overlook the simple fact Europe would be as greatly enriched with you as it would be diminished without you.
Thank you.