Turkey is part of Europe. Fear keeps it out of the EU

[mindlight]

Religion is a wonderful thing until you look at what real people really do in its name.

Only then do you discover that everyone perverts their religion and no one actually practices it.

But everyone pretends that they are doing something related to that ideal religion no one bothers with.

Oh our ability to deceive ourselves!

So cynical and so deeply wrong! Noone is righteous, but the faith we live by makes all the difference. The highest aspirations of individuals and societies are religious ones.

 

[ArnautDaniel]

So cynical and so deeply wrong! Noone is righteous, but the faith we live by makes all the difference. The highest aspirations of individuals and societies are religious ones.

The funny thing is that their lowest aspirations are also religious.

 

[Philothei]

Turkey does not even belong to the European map...

 

[nolongerhome]

Turkey does not even belong to the European map...

map of europe - Google Maps

Looks like a bit of it does

 

[Philothei]

Yep the European part ONLY. Shall we say the Greek part that of Constantinople? or better to understand ( Istabul) ?

 

[nolongerhome]

Yep the European part ONLY. Shall we say the Greek part that of Constantinople? or better to understand ( Istabul) ?

That's no bodies business but the Turks...

Seriously, though, I see no real need to keep the European Union limited to countries considered to be on the continent of Europe. If countries are willing to abide by the laws of the Union, they should be allowed to join.

 

[Philothei]

And if the rest of the partners do not want to have Turkey come in? Greece is not the stumbling stone as some think Actually the others do not wish to see more muslims flooding Europe...

 

[Philothei]

That's no bodies business but the Turks...

Seriously, though, I see no real need to keep the European Union limited to countries considered to be on the continent of Europe. If countries are willing to abide by the laws of the Union, they should be allowed to join.

BTW why would a name change less than a millenia ago would be better than the name that this city was orginally given by its founder?

 

[nolongerhome]

BTW why would a name change less than a millenia ago would be better than the name that this city was orginally given by its founder?

Why did Constantinople get the works? You know the rest

 

[Mystman]

That's no bodies business but the Turks...

Seriously, though, I see no real need to keep the European Union limited to countries considered to be on the continent of Europe. If countries are willing to abide by the laws of the Union, they should be allowed to join.

If Turkey wants to form a union with Australia, would you approve of it? With significant amounts of your taxes flowing into Turkey for subsidies, and the Turks voting on issues that directly affect your life?

(according to a somewhat shaky source on wikipedia, the Dutch are "losing" 1467 euro per person per year to the european union, while the poorer countries like hungary make >2000 euro profit per person. I can imagine Turkey wanting a slice of that pie, and the Dutch being a bit wary of needing to pay for yet another poor country. Sure, in the long run it might be benificial to develop the poorer countries and turn them into high-tech trading partners, but don't we already have enough of these "potential" high value partners?)

 

[Ellinas]

Europe has common holidays based on the Christian religion. We all celebrate Christmas and Easter. If Turkey comes in then she will demand we hold Id as a public holiday or none at all. Also Turkey does not recognise a member EU state (Cyprus) in fact contrary to UN resolution she still has her occupying army there and has flooded occupied Cyprus with die-hard colonists from the interior of Turkey just to increase the Turkish population.

Turkey considers any person of Turkish descent to be her business; thus she meddles with other countries internal affairs by creating a minority issue when there is none. Turkey made an issue of the Turks who are German citizens as being a minority that suffer from human rights abuses in Germany.

One may find some semblance of European-ism in Constantinople (Istanbul) but travel to the interior and one may think he has gone back to the middle ages.

Turkey has a long way to go before she can even be considered for a seat in the EU parliament!

 

[bigbadwilf]

1)Turkey does still have a long way to go before they should be allowed into the EU, however it has come a hell of a long way to get to where it is now.

2) Turkey (at least those bits of it to the west of the Bosphorous are part of Europe by most geographical standards.

3) If I have my history straight (not 100% sure), the massacres of the Armenians happened under the sultanate in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. That fell, and was replaced about 85 years ago.

4) The people of Turkey already suffer the most horrific of all the european indignities, the perrenial nightmare that is the Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, they won it in 2003.

 

[Philothei]

Ellinas

" Europe has common holidays based on the Christian religion. We all celebrate Christmas and Easter. If Turkey comes in then she will demand we hold Id as a public holiday or none at all. Also Turkey does not recognise a member EU state (Cyprus) in fact contrary to UN resolution she still has her occupying army there and has flooded occupied Cyprus with die-hard colonists from the interior of Turkey just to increase the Turkish population.

Turkey considers any person of Turkish descent to be her business; thus she meddles with other countries internal affairs by creating a minority issue when there is none. Turkey made an issue of the Turks who are German citizens as being a minority that suffer from human rights abuses in Germany.

One may find some semblance of European-ism in Constantinople (Istambul) but travel to the interior and one may think he has gone back to the middle ages.

Turkey has a long way to go before she can even be considered for a seat in the EU parliament! "

If Turkey wants to form a union with Australia, would you approve of it? With significant amounts of your taxes flowing into Turkey for subsidies, and the Turks voting on issues that directly affect your life?

(according to a somewhat shaky source on wikipedia, the Dutch are "losing" 1467 euro per person per year to the european union, while the poorer countries like hungary make >2000 euro profit per person. I can imagine Turkey wanting a slice of that pie, and the Dutch being a bit wary of needing to pay for yet another poor country. Sure, in the long run it might be benificial to develop the poorer countries and turn them into high-tech trading partners, but don't we already have enough of these "potential" high value partners?)

Q FT

I agree with both of you... Turkey is in no position either geographically nor politically to make for applying for EU member status. She is under review and it will take a long haul for the partners to reconsider her entry

 

[nolongerhome]

If Turkey wants to form a union with Australia, would you approve of it? With significant amounts of your taxes flowing into Turkey for subsidies, and the Turks voting on issues that directly affect your life?

(according to a somewhat shaky source on wikipedia, the Dutch are "losing" 1467 euro per person per year to the european union, while the poorer countries like hungary make >2000 euro profit per person. I can imagine Turkey wanting a slice of that pie, and the Dutch being a bit wary of needing to pay for yet another poor country. Sure, in the long run it might be benificial to develop the poorer countries and turn them into high-tech trading partners, but don't we already have enough of these "potential" high value partners?)

I'm a dual citizen - Italian and Australian. If Turkey fulfills the criteria, they should be allowed, no, encouraged, to join the EU. I think it would be a step in the right direction if a country like Australia, which I imagine would satisfy all criteria of membership, was allowed to join the EU - the more expansive the Union comes, the more democracy is spread and strengthened around the world.

 

[interpreter]

It's bad enough that a Muslim nation is allowed to be part of NATO.

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

It's bad enough that a Muslim nation is allowed to be part of NATO.

True...I disagree with a lot of your cryptozoology but on that point we're of one mind.

 

[interpreter]

Neither should Albania (another Muslim nation) be allowed to join the EU.

 

[Philothei]

Albania is already in... and Albania has hope to become more Christian than Muslim. The Orthodox Church has done an incredable job in missions there. The population are non practicing muslims or atheists/agnostics there. I think it was good that Albania joined in plus the population if not that great I think 5 million or so. They needed to enter EU

We have about 1,5 milliion of Albanians in Greece. And of those who are permanent residents are most EO Christians and consider themselves Greek/Abanians. They also are doing very good as they are established and well climbing the 'upper mobility ladder'. We also have the Albanian mafia but.... we live in the Balkans we have all kinds of crime because of that

 

[Ellinas]

Actually Albania is not yet a member of the EU. She is however a member of NATO. Yes Albania is in many ways a secular state since most of its Muslims are not practising their religion. As a Greek I welcome Albania if she meets the criteria. Turkey is a state that has practised aggressiveness towards her neighbours; mainly Greece. She has a long way to go before we can consider her even remotely qualified to join the EU. Also Turkey is not an European state by any standard or definition.

 

[interpreter]

Actually Albania is not yet a member of the EU. She is however a member of NATO. Yes Albania is in many ways a secular state since most of its Muslims are not practising their religion. As a Greek I welcome Albania if she meets the criteria. Turkey is a state that has practised aggressiveness towards her neighbours; mainly Greece. She has a long way to go before we can consider her even remotely qualified to join the EU. Also Turkey is not an European state by any standard or definition.

You may have a point about Albania. The other day I was playing pool with three Albanians. Turns out one of them was a Muslim, one was a Christian, and the other one was an atheist. But 70% of Albanians in Albania are Muslims while 30% are Christians according to the CIA World Factbook.