Distinguished Director of USAK, Ambassador Sanberk,
Distinguished Chairman of BIAA, Ambassador Logan,
Ambassadors,
Esteemed members of the academia,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a distinct honor and pleasure for me to participate in an event organized by the two prestigious think-tanks and share with you Turkey’s perspective on the Balkans. Let me start by congratulating USAK and BIAA for bringing together such a high caliber of panelists on various themes involving the Balkans, which we deem quite useful and timely.
I will not hide that the Balkans is of particular importance to me, since -probably like many others in this room- I have family ties with the region, more specifically with Kosovo. While dealing with many other issues in my daily routine, I always keep an eye what is going on in our neighborhood and try to visit this beautiful region, as often as I can.

Dear Guests,

Besides being European, Mediterranean, Eurasian and Middle Eastern, Turkey is by default and definition a Balkan country. History, geography, political realities, cultural affinities and economic necessities dictate us to be a part of this region. In addition, millions of Turks living in Western Thrace, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo and Macedonia constitute natural bridges of friendship between Turkey and the Balkans.
In short, a common past with a mixture of glories and tears; shared values stretching from cuisine to music from habits to the daily language; a joint vision described best with the European and the Euro-Atlantic integration together with highly dense human bonds are the defining elements of our policy towards the Balkans. Given this background, Turkey does not have any other option but to pursue a pro-active Balkan policy.

Dear Participants,

Global economy is passing through challenging and difficult times. Our region is not immune from the adverse effects of the global crisis. While Eurozone is the epicenter of the crisis, we have to remain vigilant and attentively monitor the spillover effects of it on South East European economies.

The region faces inter-related and multi-dimensional challenges. Several South East European countries are experiencing a significant slowdown. We need to focus more on the reasons and the outcomes of this gloomy situation.

Weaknesses in competitiveness may undermine already fragile growth performances and diminish the ability of some countries to achieve sustainable fiscal dynamics. We should ensure that the South East European economic zone has a sound financial system with strong financial institutions. Austerity has to be reconciled with growth. As the Turkish case demonstrates, this is not an easy but doable job.

Another crucial challenge is that the region has among the highest unemployment and poverty rates in Europe. We should implement policies that would establish a fair balance between economic interests and social realities. Generating jobs is the key to make economic recovery more supportive of social cohesion. Reforming the labor market and improving the quality of labor skills are essential for job creation.

Given this picture, both regional and international financial institutions should be paying high attention and extend support when and if necessary to help the Balkan countries.

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of regional and sub-regional organizations have increased rapidly in today’s interconnected world. The growing interdependence among states paves the way for the establishment of multilateral platforms, where open discussions can be held and practical solutions can be found. This is another way of furthering mutual understanding and cooperation. Thus, regional and sub-regional organizations have begun to play a key role in generating peace, stability and security, on regional basis with global repercussions. It is with this understanding that Turkey tries to improve its active involvement in all regional organizations, including the South Eastern European Cooperation Process, the SEECP.

Turkey closely cooperates with all the regional countries to ensure that the SEECP remains a unique forum for regional cooperation, dialogue and good neighborly relations in the Balkans.

Indeed, the SEECP is the only home-grown initiative in the region and thus holds a special importance. Therefore, we have to spare no effort to render it even more relevant in the political, economic and socio-cultural life of the region. We welcome the efforts of Macedonia, as the Chairman-in-Office of this process, and look forward to a robust Declaration to be issued at the end of the upcoming Summit in Ohrid on June 1st in order to give strong messages to the international community.

In the meantime, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the SEECP in 2016, Turkey tries to develop new proposals to transform the process into a more functional and visible one:

For instance,

-conducting regular meetings on the margins of international gatherings;
-strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the SEECP;
-working practically on cross-border projects especially in the areas of transport and energy;
-having the SEECP countries represent each other in different international forums, to which all of us are not members;
-or forming an intellectual platform to bring together the eminent members of academic world, media and think-tank communities are a few to mention.
Overall, these ideas do not in any way aim at creating a new, cumbersome bureaucratic giant. We simply wish to inject new dynamism into SEECP and we hope that the Macedonian chairmanship will follow up this matter as a priority.

Dear Guests,

Europe is going through its worst crisis since the Second World War. The key question is whether European Union will come out of this more united and stronger. Europe actually develops even further through crisis. A united, strong and self-confident Europe is important for Turkey and crucial for the world at large. We must remain in solidarity throughout the crisis as our economies are interdependent by trade and investments.

We all know that it is not only our common past or shared values, but a joint vision for the future that binds us together. No one questions that the future of the Balkans lies within the European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

As far as Turkey is concerned, we have the longest standing relationship with the European Union. Despite decreasing support in the public opinion, EU membership has always been a strategic choice for successive Turkish governments. Regardless of the end result of our accession process, my Government continues to make progress in its reform agenda, the latest example of which is the preparation of a new Constitution. On the economic front, we have already fulfilled most of the Maastricht Criteria. We know that we are all in the same European boat and have to work together in charting our common future. I am also aware that this is a feeling shared across the entire Balkan region. Now we expect the EU to demonstrate a similar commitment and pave the way for future enlargements.

We have all witnessed in the last few years significant steps in further integrating our region with the EU. In this regard, our sincere congratulations go to Croatia, which will become the 28th member state of the EU as of 1st of July 2013. We hope that this important decision of the EU will be followed in due course with other accession and candidate countries from our region.

We were pleased to see that negotiations between the EU and Montenegro have started. In six years after independence Montenegro has demonstrated a strong socio-economic performance. Besides, it is a successful model and a unique example for mutual co-existence and harmony among various ethnic and religious communities. So, the EU process is a well-deserved prize for their achievements.

As for Macedonia, we believe that the name issue should not be an obstacle for this pivotal country of the Balkans to embark on a path to integrate with the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. We hope that the decision of the ICJ will function as an instrument to facilitate and support Macedonia’s European and Euro-Atlantic orientation.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, with which we enjoy special relations, needs to move forward without further delay towards its European and Euro-Atlantic destination. Rapid progress in the reform process towards EU and NATO is essential, and there is no alternative to it. We cannot tolerate that Bosnia and Herzegovina is left behind. We firmly believe that the political leaders of Bosnia-Herzegovina are able to display solidarity in dire times.

Since last year, we followed closely the dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina, which has been remarkable yielding tangible results not only for the normalization of relations between the two countries but also for the region, as a whole. Such a rapprochement led to opening border gates and Kosovo’s participation in the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). All of these achievements are praiseworthy. However we regret that there has not yet been an agreement on the solution. At the same time, we welcome the commitment of both sides to this end.

Dear Participants,

To conclude, we believe that there is a better opportunity for the Balkan countries to build a better future. There are numerous reasons which compel us to look ahead with hope and determination. Unlike in the past, the Balkan countries acknowledge today the obvious fact that they are destined to work, to live and prosper together.

We want to see a safe, secure and prosperous Balkans, not in the periphery but in the hearth and as an integral part of Europe, with its highways, pipeline projects and financial transactions. We want to consider the Balkans not as a zone of conflict any more, but as a sphere of well-being based on cooperation rather than competition. And as a genuine shareholder of this history and culture-rich geography, we believe that the target is within reach more than ever before.

Thank you.