Remarks of EU commissioner on Turkish entry turn into puzzle

Remarks attributed to European Union Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger that European leaders will one day in the near future beg Turkey to join the 27-nation bloc turned into a puzzle after a series of statements that appear to be contradictory. Oettinger was quoted as saying on Wednesday that a German leader, possibly along with a French counterpart, will "crawl to Turkey on their knees" to ask Turkish leaders to join the EU. The remarks, published in the German daily Bild, were reportedly made during a meeting hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Brussels. A spokesperson for Oettinger has denied he made these remarks, while sources that attended the said event in Brussels insist that he did utter the remarks attributed to him. Officials at the Brussels office of KAS, on the other hand, told Today's Zaman that the quotes attributed to Oettinger in Bild were accurate, although the context of his remarks was different. A foundation official, speaking to Today's Zaman, said the commissioner's remarks, widely quoted in Turkish newspapers on Thursday, were made in the context of the problem of Europe's ageing population and its growing need for qualified workers. Oettinger said during his speech that the German population was ageing fast while Turkey has a young population and also commented on immigration to a certain degree, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. A spokesperson for EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, however, said the remarks did not reflect the views of the commission and that they represented the personal views of the commissioner, without commenting on the controversy or whether they were accurately attributed to Oettinger. On Wednesday, Marlene Holzner, spokesperson for the office of Oettinger, said: "EU Energy Commissioner Oettinger never said Turkey should accede to the EU. EU Energy Commissioner Oettinger underlined that the EU should seriously discuss perspectives of its future relationship with Turkey and that it is also in the interests of the EU to have close relations with Turkey." Officials said that Oettinger's comments are linked to his focus on energy, given the key role Turkey plays in the energy supply to Europe. Turkey, a candidate to join the EU, is negotiating for membership but progress has been very slow amid the unresolved Cyprus issue and opposition from some EU countries for Turkey's accession. Turkey-EU talks on energy, one of the 35 chapters that any candidate country should conclude to become a member, are blocked by Greek Cyprus, an EU member. EU officials have expressed regret about the deadlock several times in the past. İsmail Ertuğ, a deputy from the European Parliament, has also responded to the remarks attributed to Oettinger. "Oettinger's statements are a bit exaggerated, but true in principle," commented Ertuğ. Acknowledging the statement coming from the office of the energy commissioner stating that Oettinger's words are misrepresented, Ertuğ noted that "the words [by Oettinger] might be twisted. … [But] he regards Turkey from the perspective of an EU commissioner, and he is very well aware of Turkey's importance to the EU." Stating that Turkey has a key role for the EU's energy security -- Turkey being a transit route to the energy resources from the Caspian region, Central Asia and the Middle East -- Aytuğ added, "I hope European politicians will also come to acknowledge Turkey's value for the EU as soon as possible, as its economic and political importance is rising by the day."