Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for Europe Union (EU) Affairs Faruk Kaymakcı attended the 9th Provincial EU Meetings held in Kayseri.
Speaking at the meeting held at the Kayseri Governorship, Deputy Minister Kaymakcı said, “We want to become a full member of the European Union. We are a European country with its history, geography, economy, art and trade. When we look at the current data, Turkey is a European country. If you are a European country, you do not have the luxury of staying out of the EU, which is transforming into the decision-making mechanism of Europe, that is, on the way to become the new Kanuni of Europe. If we were Mexico or Iran, the EU might not be of interest to us, but we are a European country. What happens if you are a European country and not in the EU? No one may recognize your diplomas and equivalence. No one may recognize the certificate of the goods you will export. For us, membership to the EU is not a matter of love, nor a matter of wannabe, it is the matter of highest level of protection of our interests and the highest level of protection of our sovereignty. That's why it doesn't give us any formula other than full membership. Our goal is to join the EU and we need to take steps in this direction. To become a member, we must meet the membership requirements. There is no escape from it. It is a fact that we encounter double standards on this path. Because no candidate country is like Turkey.”