Distinguished Guests,

I am very pleased to deliver one of the the opening speeches today at the 20th Annual EU-Turkey Conference of Journalists.

I would like to thank all who have worked hard to organize this event, especially those who have institutionalized this gathering over the last two decades.

Organizations like these are important at a time when the news media is undergoing rapid changes. Our globalized world is witnessing an incredible acceleration in the spread of information. Never have news outlets reached so many people at such astonishing speed. All this makes the reliability and accuracy of news content all the more important.

Statistics in Turkey alone present a striking example. In 1959, when Turkey’s EU accession process started, the television had not yet arrived to the Turkish household. Today the number of TV stations exceeds 250, with all our cities accessing digital broadcasting.

There are now more than 2700 newspapers, over 3000 magazines and 1000 radio stations in Turkey. Internet and Facebook users number at around 50 and 30 million respectively. Can you believe that 92 tweets are sent per second in Turkey!

So, it is obvious that given the increasing role of the internet and the power of the “on-line” or that of “social media”, journalism has become more challenging and vital than ever.

Therefore I congratulate the EU Delegation for organizing this annual gathering of journalists from the EU countries and Turkey for the last 20 years. Meetings like these are vital in shaping our approach to the information revolution.

For what seems obvious in this new fast paced environment may not always be right. This is where responsible journalism comes into picture. It operates on a fine balance between keeping up with technology while maintaining fairness and a reverence for facts.

This is all the more important for Turkey-EU relations, where stereotypes and oversimplifications can overshadow the true nature of this strategic relationship.

On both sides we need an informed and educated discussion as to what our relationship truly signifies and how best we can tap on its full potential.

And now that I am with some of the most distinguished members of the Turkish and European press, I am not going to miss the opportunity to elaborate on that great promise.

But allow me to first put things into context. Let us first look at Turkey and what it stands for in today's world of great transformations.

In fact, Turkey itself has undergone sweeping change throughout the last decade. Thanks to broad ranging reforms in all walks of life, we have strengthened our economy and enhanced our democracy.

Today we are the sixth largest economy in Europe, projected to be the second in 2050. Our goal is to make Turkey one of the top ten economies of the world by 2023.

But maybe more importantly, we have raised the standards of our democracy and in EU terminology, fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria. Naturally, we still have a lot to do to fully meet the democratic aspirations of our people. But there is no doubt that today Turkish democracy serves as a source of inspiration to a wide geography around it.

Given our long history and strategic location, we have always felt the responsibility to make a difference in our wide region. But today we have the confidence and the capability to do so.

We have come a long way in this direction in the past ten years.

For instance, we invested heavily in relations with our neighbors, and despite the persistence of some problems, created a new paradigm of cooperation and dialogue around us. From Balkans to Caucasus, Black Sea to the Middle East and Central Asia there is a new Turkish reality on the ground. With that comes a dynamic push for political dialogue, economic integration and cultural understanding.

At the same time, we continued to strengthen our partnership and alliance with the US and the European countries. I will come back to our EU accession process in a few minutes. But allow me to say that our relations with the US reached a new height in the form of the model partnership.

We have also reached out to new geographies and started expanding our network of relationships. Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America are no longer far flung corners of the world for us. In Africa alone, we opened 22 new Embassies in the last three years and became one of the three strategic partners of the African Union.

We did not only dwell on bilateral relations but raised our profile at multilateral platforms too. Today, Turkey has some form of a representation in almost every regional and international organization, ranging from Pacific Islands Forum to MERCOSUR.

Perhaps more importantly, we became one of the major players in the UN. Having successfully served at the Security Council in 2009-10 after almost half a century, Turkey is also assuming significant roles in every pillar of the UN’s work, ranging from development assistance to global warming.

In short, Turkey has evolved from being a flank country of NATO to a central state with increasing engagements all over the world. Today Turkey is either the sponsor or an active party of every major global initiative. The Alliance of Civilizations, Mediation for Peace and Global Counter-Terrorism Forum are just a few of these initiatives.

But the best of Turkey's potential is still ahead. Given the historic transformation taking place in the Mediterranean basin, Turkey is one of the rare countries that can play a truly positive role in this strategic region.

One can easily see that in Tunisia, Libya or Egypt where Turkey's friendship and cooperation is keenly sought by the new leaderships. Considering that there are huge challenges awaiting these countries in transition, Turkey's positive influence is an asset for everyone concerned.

In Syria too, Turkey shoulders a huge responsibility in helping the Syrian people pursue their democratic aspirations and cope with the unfolding humanitarian tragedy.

Today, Turkey hosts close to 400 thousand Syrians in Turkey, half of them in the camps near the border. So far, we spent 600 million US Dollars to accommodate their basic needs. The assistance we received from the international community however remains shamefully low.

But I am not here to complain. We believe in what we are doing. Our values and interests leave us no other option than siding with the people of Syria and confronting its brutal dictator.

In order for the Arab Spring to truly change the political landscape of the region and deliver its promise, Syria must also be allowed to run its course towards democracy.

And it will. This process is irreversible. The Syrian people who have braved the bullets, shells and missiles of the regime for more than two years now cannot be swayed back.

So, the big picture is that one of the most strategic parts of the world is changing and we all have a stake in this process. Turkey is certainly best-placed to bring an added value given its common history and special ties. But this region is also our common neighborhood with the EU, and we could gain much through a cooperative approach.

Unfortunately though, this has not yet happened in a satisfactory way. With that I do not only mean our cooperation in the Middle East, but the state of Turkish-EU relations in general.

Yes, Turkey is poised to play a decisive role in its region and beyond; but with the EU on its side it can be much more effective and constructive. The EU on the other hand is searching its soul and seeking a new place in the new world. And again, with Turkey on its side the whole process will be much easier moving in the right direction.

Indeed, in order to have a decisive global reach, the EU must be well-equipped on all levels; political, economic, social and cultural. And Turkey is a country that is able to bring considerable added value to the Union on all these accounts.

Or let me put it this way: If the EU wants to be geopolitically relevant, economically competitive and culturally inclusive, all of which are key to retaining an edge in today’s fast changing world, then Turkey’s membership is indeed the answer.

So there is probably no other relationship, which provides such a win-win situation for not only the two sides, but for the entire world. This is precisely why we continue to see EU membership as a strategic goal and remain committed to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

But we expect the same strategic outlook from the EU too. We know that the EU is going through a serious crisis and there is an enlargement-fatigue. But the EU should not fall into the trap of going the easy way of inaction and take the more challenging but certainly the right way of accession.

One should also not forget that enlargement is one of the most important tools of the Union to bring peace and stability to the Continent, helping spread the values and principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Most recently, it even has helped the EU earn the Nobel Peace Prize. So it cannot be put to backburner at a time where the transformative power of the EU is still needed in a wide geography.

In the case of Turkey, for instance, both Turkey and the EU Commission agree that the accession process has contributed to the overall improvement of democratic standards as well as to the strength of the Turkish economy.

Moreover, the perspective of membership, while providing an added incentive to undertake comprehensive reforms in Turkey, has added to the country’s standing among international economic actors as a viable partner for trade and investments.

The political pull-over effect of Turkey’s candidacy in its region is also a point that should not be overlooked.

In light of all that, it is a pity that our accession process remains dedlocked for the last three years. Indeed, with 17 Chapters blocked - all for political reasons- our accession process has almost come to a standstill. Since 2010 no Chapter had been opened under five term Presidencies consecutively.

Therefore, opening new chapters in Turkey’s accession process will be a strong and a clear signal demonstrating that the process is moving forward.

As highlighted in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council last December, it is in the interest of both Turkey and the EU that accession negotiations regain momentum.

The recent decision by France to lift its blockage on Chapter 22, “Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments”, is a promising first step.

We expect this step to have a positive impact on accession negotiations and hope that France’s blockage on the remaining 4 Chapters will also come to an end in the near future.

At this point, it is also important to remember that the public support for Turkey’s EU membership has slipped considerably in Turkey over the last three years. It is not that they are against membership, but they lost their faith in it.

So we have to do something to convince them that there is indeed a perspective of membership for Turkey. And we must do it quickly so that the public does not get disengaged completely.

In this regard, there is one other element which can positively change the atmospherics of our relationship with the EU. It is providing visa exemption to our citizens for the EU countries.

A breakthrough on this issue could indeed be a “game changer” in our relations with the EU. Recently there has been some progress on this issue as the Commission is finally authorized to engage in a dialogue with Turkey for visa exemption. However, the process is too slow and there are still those EU countries which seem not convinced.

A visa exemption will also increase social interaction between Turkish and European peoples and will thus help erase some of the wrong prejudices about Turkey in Europe. As to the business communities, it will particularly ease the interactions among themselves and will help Europe to benefit from Turkey’s economic dynamism at this time of crisis.

Distinguished Guests,

I spoke at length. But let me finish by recapping what I wanted to emphasize on Turkish-EU relations and its importance for both sides.

The accession process must go on and it must take on a new dimension with the entry of a large and strong country to address the many current challenges requiring enhanced multilateralism.

The EU needs to shake off the so-called “enlargement fatigue” and start paying closer attention to accession and candidate countries.

Prolonged inertia or delays cannot be in the Union’s interest.

In today’s world the nature and reach of soft power of countries may well determine their global standing.

The EU is no exception. It may even be more dependent on soft power in achieving its larger political and economic goals given the limits of its decision-making structure.

Our membership is a case in point where enlargement will enrich and inject the EU with diversity and dynamism.

With the discussions on the future of Europe heating up, I wish to reiterate that we all share the same concerns and interests.

Furthermore, we share a common future and defend the same principles and values.

As a member of the European family, we wish to participate in and contribute to the deliberations on this issue.

A country like Turkey with its unique geostrategic location, cultural richness and strong economic potential is an asset to the Union.

While it is true that Turkey’s membership in the EU will be unlike any other before it, it will also bring the most vital added-value to the Union today exactly because of this, rendering it a truly global actor.

Our membership will prove a “win-win” situation for both parties.

This is evident in a variety of fields such as politics, security, foreign policy, economics and energy, not least in the social and cultural spheres.

We need each other, while power distribution in the international system is shifting in multiple directions, from the West to the East, from governments to non-state actors, from large-scale international bodies to regional organizations and informal networks.

Let’s seize the opportunity and not deprive ourselves from this huge potential. Turkey is ready to do its share. I hope this conference will motivate you to ask from the EU countries to do the same.

Thank you.