German foreign minister backs Turkey's EU bid
VALENTINA POP
15.10.2008 @ 09:29 CET
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier backed Turkey's EU bid on Tuesday (14 October), speaking at the opening of the Frankfurt book fair together with Turkish Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk and Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
"Turkey may still have a little way to go here, but we should support Turkey on this way," the German minister said, German media reports, with Mr Steinmeier stressing that Turkey's "integration with the EU" is important for the integration of the Turkish community in Germany.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier - has a different view on Turkey than chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he will run against in next year's elections (Photo: The Council of the European Union)
Some 2.3 million German residents have Turkish origins.
The minister underlined that a critical criterion for joining the EU is freedom of expression, however, adding that Turkey needs a "change of mentality" in this area on top of passing new laws.
Mr Steinmeier's position seems to be at odds with that of German chancellor Angela Merkel, with the socialist foreign minister set to run against the conservative leader in next year's general elections.
Mrs Merkel and the CDU party has consistently advocated a "privileged partnership" with Turkey instead of full EU membership.
The Turkish president and writer - as well as dozens of other Turkish authors - were invited to the Frankfurt fair as guests of honour.
President Gul claimed that his country "to a great extent fulfils the European Union's conditions" regarding freedom of opinion and respect for cultural diversity, while admitting that "there is still a lot to do".
But Mr Pamuk lamented the difficulties still facing writers in Turkey.
"The Turkish state's penchant for banning books and punishing writers unfortunately continues," he said, citing legislation that was used to prosecute him and criticizing a ban on access to YouTube, AP reports.
Pamuk was prosecuted for comments he made about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th century.
The charges were later dropped and the law used to prosecute him - which bars the denigration of Turkish identity or institutions - was softened earlier this year.