A TÜSİAD delegation headed by Mr. Muharrem Yılmaz, President of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD visited Irish capital Dublin in March 25th and 26th, 2013.
TÜSİAD delegation met with Mr. Eamon Gilmore, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland and Mr. Richard Bruton, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. The TÜSİAD delegation held a series of talks with its Irish counterpart, Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), and also with Investment Development Agency of Ireland (IDA) business development institution Enterprise Ireland.
The basic message communicated by the TÜSİAD delegation in Ireland, which holds the current presidency of the Council of the EU was as follows:
1. The global developments and the Euro crisis entail a larger and more effective EU. Hence EU should consider the case of membership of Turkey, reliably, consistently, and rapidly.
2. The opening of the negotiation on the chapter of Regional Policies is an important but insufficient step. The chapters on the internal affairs, fundamental rights and liberties, and energy, etc. should be opened as soon as possible.
3. The crisis of the South Cyprus indicates the weakness of the related policies of the EU. The problem is not only an economic problem, but also a political one. The removal of the vetoes of the South Cyprus on the issue of the EU membership of Turkey will be beneficial to all parties involved.
4. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations to be started between the EU and the USA will shape the new global economy. Turkey, which already harmonized its regulation according to the Customs Union and the perspective of full membership, should be within the framework of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The method used in earlier free trade agreements of the EU with third countries is inadequate. Turkey should be included from the very beginning of this process.
Muharrem YILMAZ: Ireland recovering from the last crisis is an important economic partner of Turkey.
The TÜSİAD delegation held a series of talks with various business organizations of Ireland. Mr. Muharrem Yılmaz, President of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD made the following statement about these talks:
“In many aspects, Ireland provides a successful model of economic and social development. Ireland has made the most of Euro and EU membership and particularly during the last 15 years, it climbed from the low end of the per capita national income list of the European countries, to the top ranks. The key factors of this success were human capital, education, R&D and technology. Public institutions and policies supporting entrepreneurship and investment environment also contributed to this success.
Ireland recovering from the last crisis is an important economic partner of Turkey. The Irish official delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to visit Turkey in April will create a suitable ground for cooperation and partnership between the companies from both countries. In our meeting with our Irish counterpart IBEB, we identified a great potential for a breakthrough in this respect. The support for the EU membership of Turkey provided by IBEC in Ireland, in BUSINESSEUROPE, the representative organization of the European business community we both are member of, and in various institutions of the EU, is reinforcing the international dimension of the economic cooperation between the two countries.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Gilmore: the Irish government support the EU membership of Turkey
Mr. Gilmore released a press statement before the Dublin visit of TÜSİAD delegation. He expressed his pleasure of TÜSİAD’s talks in Ireland before his visit to Turkey in April, and he underlined that the Irish government has been in favor of the EU membership of Turkey and the enlargement of the EU in general for a long time.
Deputy Prime Minister Gilmore expressed their awareness about the potential benefits of the enlargement of the single market and the trade relations to be developed by the membership of Turkey, an economically important country with a large market. Mr. Gilmore emphasized that Turkey is an important economic and political actor and the relations of the EU with the Middle East and the Central Asia can be strengthened by Turkey’s membership.
Mr. Gilmore stated also that they are optimistic about the opening of a new negotiation chapter during the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU.
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