ISTANBUL
Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said on Thursday, "Today Turkey is on the precipice of forever rectifying this unfortunate event. Turkey is on its way to composing a new civilian constitution. A constitution fit for its people, one that carries Turkey into the future."
Bagis attended the World Services Group (WSG) panel discussion at the Swissotel in Istanbul and said that Turkey is undergoing many legislative reforms and will continue to achieve the first rate democracy, adding "this however was not the case after the 1980 coup, when the military junta had a morally unjust and inhuman constitution prepared."
Bagis noted that the relation with the European Union were significant due not only to the increasing role of Turkey as a successful model of economic integration but also as a regional political actor and mentioned, "Europe is telling us to walk alone when we are offering to fly together."
Bagis explained that the reforms by the Turkish government will come to fruition when Turkey achieves its goal of being one of the top 10 economies in the world and reminded, "Turkey has the 5th largest labour force among European countries, after Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. We have a population of 75.6 million of which half is under the age of 29."
Bagis who referred to the crisis in Syria said, "We as the international community must work as a whole to get rid of this tyrant who calls himself Assad. The death toll is over 100,000, plus the hundreds of thousands of refugees and millions of displaced."
