EU concerned about slow reform in TurkeyMay 23, 2008 - 16:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission warned membership-hopeful Turkey yesterday not to slip back in its reform process, saying it could not afford "another wasted year." Speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the EU executive body was concerned about the slow pace of reform in Turkey. Turkey started EU accession talks in 2005 but they have been held back by slow progress in EU-linked reforms, the impact of the unresolved Cyprus dispute, and the reluctance of some EU members, such as France and Austria, to see Turkey join. Rehn noted concerns about moves by Turkey's chief prosecutor to shut down the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and ban Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul from politics for alleged Islamist subversion. Intervening in a case that threatens Turkey's bid to join the EU, the European Parliament called for constitutional amendments that would prevent Turkish courts from outlawing democratically elected parties. Turkey needs to observe European standards, the Parliament said in a motion passed by lawmakers 467-62. It criticized an attempt by Turkish prosecutors to get the Constitutional Court to ban Erdogan's party a year after his re-election. "Closing down a political party is not and cannot be business as usual," Rehn, the EU's pointman for the entry talks, told the Parliament. "It cannot be taken lightly in a European democracy." The Parliament called on Turkey "to bring the constitution into line" with European principles on courts' oversight of political parties. The warning was coupled with a separate EU announcement that the entry negotiations will inch ahead next month, in a show of support for Erdogan in his bid to anchor Turkey among the western democracies. In the Constitutional Court case that aims to bring Erdogan down, prosecutors argue that the prime minister's Justice and Development Party (AKP) is subverting the religious freedoms that date back to the founding of modern Turkey in, the Turkish Daily News reports. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |