Former eastrn bloc countries urge Turkey to never lose strategic goal of EU membership

The consuls in Istanbul of the Visegrad Group (V-4) – the regional alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – on Tuesday said that they support Turkey's accession to the European Union, and that despite setbacks Ankara should never lose its strategic goal of EU membership. "We all went through a difficult journey to meet the EU's demanding criteria," said Slovak Consul Jozef Sestak following a roundtable co-organized with the Global Political Trends Center (GPOT). "It's not easy. There are economic consequences; you have to change legislation; you have to implement new laws affecting the business community; you change your tax system, etc." He added, "Please be patient, never lose your strategic goal, because you are a European nation and should be a part of Europe." Sestak reminded the audience that the V-4 countries only joined the EU in 2004. Czech Consul Irena Krasnicka said that the Central European experience is quite relevant for Turkey, even though it obviously lacks a communist background. "We have common experiences, as we've all had totalitarian leaders," she said. "Turks feel fine in Central Europe and we feel fine in Turkey. This is a good basis for EU-Turkish relations." Reiterating the V-4's stance, Polish Consul Miroslaw Stawski said that they support the EU's enlargement. The consuls also said that they haven't forgotten Turkey's support for their NATO membership.