Istanbul presentation October 2004

The EU and Greek-Turkish Relations: From Conflict to Cooperation Bogazici University, 22-23 October 2004: 

The EU and Greek-Turkish Relations: From Conflict to Cooperation Bogazici University, 22-23 October 2004 The Logic of the “Challenge”. EU Perceptions of the Greek-Turkish Conflict Michelle Pace Research Fellow, University of Birmingham EUBorderConf project: www.euborderconf.bham.ac.uk

Commission Perceptions: 

Commission Perceptions Turkey-Greek relations important for EU-Turkey relations with spill-over effects for EU-Turkey/Greek/Cyprus relations Turkish-Greek relations should follow EU model of peace building Commission representatives & MEPs acknowledge Greek-Turkish rapprochement following earthquakes as a step in the right direction

Commission Perceptions: 

Commission Perceptions Turkish-Greek conflict = a matter between the two countries Commission discourses highlight importance of principle of peaceful settlement of border disputes Other main Commission discourses: democratization and economic & institutional development/modernization discourses + a security discourse

EU Impact: 

EU Impact Helsinki decision to grant candidate status to Turkey: a turning point with spill-over effects on Greek-Turkish relations Regular Reports identify a positive evolution with respect to the conflict and credit this to efforts of foreign ministers of the two countries “Relations between Greece & Turkey have improved, largely due to the close co-operation between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries” (Regular Report 2002: 44)

Conceptualisation of conflict: 

Conceptualisation of conflict Commission discourse: Greek-Turkish conflict appears as a series of issue conflicts “ There are a number of contentious issues in the Aegean area between Turkey and an EU Member State, Greece, including disputes about the demarcation of the continental shelf. Turkey also challenges sovereignty over various islets & rocks. The boundaries of the two territorial waters & airspace are also problematic” (Regular Report 1998: 51)

Some observations: 

Some observations Cyprus issue does not seem to be perceived as part of the Greek-Turkish conflict There does not seem to be any mention of the issue of the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority of Western Thrace Issues related to the Greek minority in Turkey (eg. The closing of the Greek Orthodox Halki seminary since 1971) are seen as a domestic affair that relate to human rights & not as a bilateral dispute involving Greece & Turkey (Regular Report 1998: 19-20; Regular Report 2004: 44)

Commission Discourses: 

Commission Discourses Commission references to a continuous improvement of the relations between Greece & Turkey since 1999: The improvement is sometimes linked with adjectives such as “significantly” (Regular report 2001: 89) or “dramatically” (Regular Report 2004: 52) Commission regular reports refer to a) signing of bilateral agreements which aim to deepen co-operation between the 2 countries (2002: 18 &44; 2003: 41)

Commission Discourses: 

Commission Discourses Regular Reports refer to b) the agreement on a no of confidence building measures (2001: 31; 2002: 44; 2003: 41; 2004) c) the exploratory talks in the Aegean that started in March 2002 (2002: 18 & 44; 2004) d) symbolic movements such as the ‘official visit’ of the Turkish PM to Greece & his ‘private visit to Western Thrace where he called on the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority to contribute to Greece’s prosperity’ (Regular Report 2004) … & public commitments at the highest level to continued rapprochement (Regular Report 2003: 41)

Commission Discourses: 

Commission Discourses References on rapprochement at level of wider civil society: “A number of other initiatives were taken at the grass-root level, such as the Third Turkish-Greek Tourism Forum in Marmaris in May 2001” (Regular Report 2001: 89). Includes idea that Turkish interests can influence positively the Greek-Turkish conflict Turkey’s foreign policy will also depend on its internal developments (Commission staff working document – Issues arising from Turkey’s membership perspective 2004: 11)

General observations: 

General observations Commission sees role of the EU as a forum where the Greek-Turkish dispute can be discussed in the context of political dialogue (Regular Report 2001: 33) The use of carrot & stick to promote political reforms in Turkey could be seen to have a multi-pathway impact on the Greek-Turkish conflict