EU to become global peace project with Turkey, says EU Minister Bağış

WASHINGTON

Turkey's EU Minister Egemen Bağış participated at a conference organized by Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington. AA photo

The European Union will become a global peace project when Turkey will join the bloc, EU Minister Egemen Bağış said April 24 during a conference in Washington.

“The EU is the most important peace project of the humanity. When Turkey will join the bloc, it will be become a global peace project, not only a continental one. Because Turkey’s EU process is watched by 3 billion people which feels ignored by the West,” Bağış said at a conference organized by Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington.

The EU minister also expressed his pleasure over Washington’s support to Ankara’s membership to the bloc but raised concern over its reluctance to open chapters. “We should pressure our EU member friends to do the right thing. Common sense will prevail in the end and I hope it will emerge soon.”
 
Turkey’s membership will be a ‘win-win’ situation for the EU, according to Bağış. “Turkey will contribute this peace project to become global, because the membership process is watched not only 70 million Turks, 1.5 billion Muslims but 3 billion people who feel they are ignored by the West,” Bağış said, pointing to increase in the number of doctoral thesis researching Turkey’s EU membership in China and India.