Gul: "Turkey's contributions to the EU should not be forgotten"

Turkey's contributions to the European Union should not be forgotten, said President Abdullah Gul yesterday, adding that Turkey will accept nothing less than full membership in the bloc. Gul made the remarks on an official visit to Slovakia, in an address at Comenius University in Bratislava, where he was honored with the university's Golden Medal. Turkey's foreign policy is designed to bring peace, stability and welfare to its region, Gul said. The world has recently seen important changes, and due to its position, Turkey was more affected than any other country by emerging risks, Gul said. As NATO has taken on wider missions, Turkey's role in regions facing problems has grown, he added. Turkey first tried to solve its problems with its Balkans neighbors, and later forged good relations with its southern neighbors, said Gul. He said Russia has become an important commercial partner for Turkey. Most recently, Turkey proposed a Caucasus Cooperation Platform for peace and stability in the region, he noted. Turkey is working to normalize relations with Armenia, Gul said. Turkey has deep historical ties with both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the problems in the region are as important as those in the Middle East and have the potential to affect global stability, he said. Turkey began trilateral summit meetings to establish security between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he added. As a bridge between East and West, Turkey can understand the mentality in different regions, Gul said. On Turkey's EU process, Gul said that Turkey has had relations with Europe for over 1,000 years. Turkey has turned towards the West and is continuing its EU membership talks with determination, but while Turkey is doing all it can, the EU is falling behind, Gul said. "Turkey's contributions to the EU should not be forgotten," he said. "There is no alternative to full membership for Turkey. Turkey will make the EU pie bigger. The membership process of big countries has always been difficult, and we're aware of this as we conduct entry negotiations." Praising Comenius University, Gul said, "I'm pleased to see efforts being made to open a Turkish language department at the university. Turkey will support Comenius University on this." Comenius Rector Frantisek Gaher said that Turkey's crucial role for global peace lies in the words of the late Ataturk, who stressed the principle of "Peace at Home, Peace in the World." Turkey sends strong messages as a bridge in a sensitive position between East and West and different worlds, he said. Gaher said the golden medal was given in recognition of Gul's work for peace both as a president and foreign minister. Gul also had a working breakfast with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and later met with Pavol Paska, speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. In related news, the Czech Constitutional Court yesterday ruled that the Treaty of Lisbon, which envisages major changes in the structure of the EU, does not conflict with the Czech Constitution. Czech President Vaclav Klaus had said the court needed to approve the treaty before he could sign it. The treaty is expected to facilitate further EU enlargement, thus boosting Turkey's EU accession bid.