The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Baconschi, does not support the idea of a “privileged partnership” instead of the status of full-fledged EU member state for Turkey, some of his statements closely evoking those a Turkish official would make, “Zaman” comments, in their online edition. “Turkey shouldn’t be offered a privileged partnership rather than a full-fledged EU member state,” Baconschi stated, in an interview published on Wednesday, in the online edition of the Turkish newspaper. When asked for his opinion in the debate on safe borders and European identity in reference to Turkey’s potential accession to the EU, the Romanian FM argued “Turkey is anchored in Europe’s frame for cooperation”, pointing out that “no one suggested surrogate frames when Turkey joined the European Council, in 1949, when it became a NATO member or when it joined the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).” Baconschi added that Turkey’s identity had been moulded by the specific context of a country placed at the juncture between two continents, with different civilizations and cultures. “However, this does not mean that European values do not hold a central place in Turkish identity. The foundations of modern Turkey were laid by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was inspired by Western European values and principles. Turkey’s history is part of the history of Europe,” he added. The Turkish paper comments, in the preamble to the interview, that “when it comes to the debate on Turkish identity and on the fairness of the idea of offering Turkey a ‘privileged partnership’ rather than the status of a full-fledged EU member state, some of Baconschi’s statements are no different from those a Turkish official may make, on the same topic.” The Romanian FM further stated that bilateral ties between Romania and Turkey are excellent, and the political dialogue is very dynamic.
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