Ukrainian ambassador: ”The EU fears it can't handle big, strong countries like Turkey and my own”

Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukraine's new ambassador to Ankara, said yesterday that key international actors should take part in Turkey's proposed Caucasus stability and cooperation platform. "Besides Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, big actors like the European Union and the US should join the proposed platform, as without them it will be difficult for it to be successful," he said. Touching on Turkey's European Union membership bid, he charged that after delaying the start of Turkey's accession talks for years, the EU had continued to act unreasonably. The bloc is afraid of Turkey and Ukraine, because both are big, strong countries, he added. "The EU isn't sure if it can digest countries like ours," he said. Stating that Turkey was ready to become an EU member earlier than many other countries, he added, "When Turkey becomes a member, it will enrich the EU politically, economically and culturally. The same is true of Ukraine." Korsunsky presented his credentials to President Abdullah Gul late last month to officially begin his mission in Turkey.