TURKEY STILL has “substantial work ahead” in terms of meeting conditions for EU membership, but Ireland supports its bid for accession, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said yesterday.
Mr Martin said Ireland’s support for Turkey’s candidacy was underpinned by its support for enlargement in general. “The prospect of enlargement bolsters economic and political reform processes and helps to promote stability, security and prosperity in Europe,” he said. “There are, in addition, potential gains to the single market and to trade through the accession of a country of Turkey’s size. The union’s reach and influence in the Middle East and Central Asia could be enhanced through Turkish accession,” he added.
Mr Martin, responding to a parliamentary question tabled by Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton and Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris, said his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, told him during a visit to Dublin in March that accession negotiations provided a strong incentive for Turkey to pursue reforms and strengthen democracy and human rights.
“While much has been achieved in Turkey in these areas, the challenge is now for Turkey to maintain and accelerate the progress on reforms,” Mr Martin said.
He said he had also raised the EU’s “deep regret” at Turkey’s “continued non-compliance” with its obligations under the Ankara Protocol by refusing to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and aircraft.
“The [European] Council will not permit eight chapters of the accession framework to be opened and no further chapters to be provisionally closed until Turkey fulfils its commitments in this regard,” he added. Mr Martin emphasised the need for Turkey to make progress towards normalisation of its relations with Cyprus.
He also briefed the Dáil on the latest developments relating to the use of fraudulent Irish passports by the hit team allegedly responsible for killing a Hamas official in Dubai in February. Eight counterfeit Irish passports were implicated. Six had numbers that corresponded to genuine Irish passports. Mr Martin said he had just received a report arising from an investigation by the passport service. The Garda is undertaking a separate one. Mr Martin said he expected to make a statement on the matter within a few weeks.