Bulgarian nationalists object to EU « compromises » to Turkey

BBC Monitoring Europe – Political
May 2, 2006 Tuesday

Text of report by Bulgarian news agency BGNES website

Certain strategic compromises over the Copenhagen criteria have been to Turkey and if this continues, it could very rapidly join the EU, Ivan Kostov, chairman of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria [DSB], said on 2 May.

Turkey is still not sufficiently modernized and Europeanized and if it is admitted to the EU it would contradict Bulgaria's interests and would slow down the strengthening of the European integration, Kostov stressed. In this context the DSB has issued a position regarding Turkey's negotiations with the EU. The position points out that the EU should give a chance to Turkey's
Europeanization and allow Turkey an opportunity to meet the Copenhagen criteria.

The negotiations between Brussels and Ankara are an instrument of Turkey's comprehensive reform. Bulgaria needs this for many reasons, DSB points out. One of them is the fact that Turkey is utilizing Turkish communities abroad and Turks with dual citizenship to interfere in the internal affairs of various countries, and more specifically – Bulgaria. "Turkey is helping the Rights and Freedoms Movement [DPS] to monopolize the vote of the Bulgarian Turks and deny them the right to a democratic and pluralistic choice. Turkish political and economic factors are concentrating resources in the 'cluster of companies' around Akhmed Dogan, something which is turning the DPS into a state within a
state," the DSB position reads.

The DPS is corrupting many young people from various ethnic groups and representatives of the Bulgarian business through appointments and material benefits, the position points out. The membership prospect will strengthen the
Turkish migration wave also towards Bulgaria, the DSP position stresses. According to the DSB, the DPS has got entire ethnically mixed Bulgarian regions in its power, something which facilitates the abruption of new Turkish emigrants. It is precisely because of this reason that the DSB wants the Bulgarian politicians and rulers to adhere to the EU decision on "an open end
negotiations process whose result cannot be guaranteed apriori," oppose "new strategic concessions to Ankara in the process of negotiations," and insist on assessing Turkey on merit.

In conclusion, the DSB emphasizes that if the European Parliament recommends signing an Accession Treaty with Turkey the Bulgarian government should adopt a position only after holding a referendum.

Source: BGNES website, Sofia.