Meanwhile: Turkey Threatens to Freeze EU Relations
Directly after the Turkish government committed to pursuing EU membership with renewed vigor, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu has announced that relations with the EU will be "frozen" if Greek Cyprus takes over the presidency:
Turkey and the EU ‘cannot continue relations’ if Greek Cyprus takes over the bloc’s presidency on its own in 2012, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu says ...
... it would be out of the question for Turkey to accept the Greek Cypriot administration as its EU interlocutor, Davutoğlu said. “We do not believe that Turkey and the EU can continue relations in a case where the Greek Cypriot side assumes the EU term presidency before a solution is found in Cyprus."
Meanwhile, suggesting something of a lack of message coordination, Turkey's EU Minister Egemen Bağiş reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to EU accession. Yesterday, Bağiş proposed that Turkey was the solution to Europe's problem with its aging population: "I have a slogan for Europeans: 'Hang on Europe, Turkey will save you!'"
Put aside all the tea-leaf reading about whether this signals a shift in Turkey's orientation, who's actually in charge of this policy, and whether anyone's in control of anything at this point (I'm beginning to doubt it). The obvious question is, why would Turkey want to join the EU? The thing's melting down.
Anyway, here's an Occidental Culture Tip for Foreign Minister Davutoğlu: I know that kind of talk plays well at home, but Westerners have almost no emotions--they're Ice People, seriously--and they'll just find that kind of language weird and unprofessional. They probably won't realize that you just mean this issue is very important to you. Let Bağiş handle the Europeans, he's good with them.
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Sep '10
Re: Meanwhile: Turkey Threatens to Freeze EU Relations
I would be interested in a brief primer on pronouncing these worthy gentlemen's names. I know Ghoti spells fish in English according to George Bernard Shaw but I'm unware of what sound these various marks over and under the "g" mean. Erdogan is pronounced Erdo "wan" right. I always wondered why Bombay turned into Mumbai until I read Fareed Zakarias book so maybe there is something to be learned about the Turks from that as well?
Re: Meanwhile: Turkey Threatens to Freeze EU Relations
Tie-eep Air-doe-wan
Ah-met Dah-voot-oh-loo
Egg-eh-men Bah-ish
Sep '10
Re: Meanwhile: Turkey Threatens to Freeze EU Relations
Thanks, there is a phrase in poem by Richard Wilbur that I cannot recall event the tittle of but he is talking about the English as "a people strangely cold" are we in the West perceived that way? I suppose we are in many cases. Vituperation seems more accepted in other cultures. Wonder if the Turks are laughing to themselves that Greece appears to be bringing down the EU, of course its more than just Greece but that's what gets all the publicity.
Re: Meanwhile: Turkey Threatens to Freeze EU Relations
Oh, absolutely we're perceived that way.