David Cameron: I still want Turkey to join EU, despite migrant fears
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/11283924/David-Cameron-I-still-want-Turkey-to-join-EU-despite-migrant-fears.html
The Prime Minister says a European Union without Turkey is 'not stronger but weaker'
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David Cameron shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey Photo: EPA
David Cameron has said that he still “very much supports” Turkey joining the
European Union, despite his Government's inability to control numbers of EU
migrants coming to the UK.
The Prime Minister was quizzed about his support for Turkey’s accession to the
EU during a visit to Turkey to meet the country’s Prime Minister and
President.
Mr Cameron said he had discussed Turkey’s accession to the EU during talks in
Ankara on Tuesday afternoon with Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish Prime
Minister.
The visit was his first since 2010 when he told the Turks the backed the
country’s goal of joining the EU. He said then that he wanted to “make the
case” for Turkey’s EU membership.
Asked if he still felt that way despite his Government’s inability to control
inward migration from EU countries and bring net migration down to the tens
of thousands of people, he said that he had discussed it again with Turkish
Prime Minister.
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He said: “In terms of Turkish membership of the EU, I very much support that.
“That’s a longstanding position of British foreign policy which I support. We discussed that again in our talks today”.
In a speech at the Turkish parliament in Ankara in July 2010, Mr Cameron said: “I’m here to make the case for Turkey's membership of the EU. And to fight for it.”
He added that he wanted to "pave the road" for Turkey to join the EU, saying the country was "vital for our economy, vital for our security and vital for our diplomacy".
A European Union without Turkey at its heart was “not stronger but weaker... not more secure but less... not richer but poorer”.
Mr Cameron was in talks with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, at the Ak Saray presidential palace on Tuesday night.
Earlier Mr Cameron and Mr Davutoglu had agreed further and deeper intelligence between Ankara and London about British Jihadis who had travelled to fight for the Islamic State in neighbouring Syria.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Cameron said that both Turkey and the UK were “taking the steps that we believe we should” to deal with “this scourge of foreign fighters”.
This is understood to include requiring all Turkey’s airlines to share timely and accurate information about airline passengers flying from Turkish airports direct to the UK.
Mr Cameron said that Britain and Turkey would work “hand in glove” to combat the threat from Isil.
He said: “The prime minister and I have agreed that we should exchange even more information, we should cooperate more in terms of intelligence.
“We should work hand in glove because the people who are travelling, whether from Britain or elsewhere, sometimes through Turkey, sometimes in other ways to Syria and Iraq.
“These are people that threaten us back at home so we should do everything that we can and we’ve had very productive discussions today.”
Mr Davutoglu said that “Turkey has never tolerated their transit through our territory or their existence in Syria”.
He added: “These fighters are creating a threat for us in Turkey, they are casting a shadow over the just cause of the Syrian people.
“No country can claim that it is under more of a threat than Turkey.” He added that “in no way did any Isis leader pass through the Turkish border”.
In July Jean Claude Juncker, the new European Commission President, said that there would be a five year pause before any more countries were allowed to join the EU.
“That’s a longstanding position of British foreign policy which I support. We discussed that again in our talks today”.
In a speech at the Turkish parliament in Ankara in July 2010, Mr Cameron said: “I’m here to make the case for Turkey's membership of the EU. And to fight for it.”
He added that he wanted to "pave the road" for Turkey to join the EU, saying the country was "vital for our economy, vital for our security and vital for our diplomacy".
A European Union without Turkey at its heart was “not stronger but weaker... not more secure but less... not richer but poorer”.
Mr Cameron was in talks with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, at the Ak Saray presidential palace on Tuesday night.
Earlier Mr Cameron and Mr Davutoglu had agreed further and deeper intelligence between Ankara and London about British Jihadis who had travelled to fight for the Islamic State in neighbouring Syria.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Cameron said that both Turkey and the UK were “taking the steps that we believe we should” to deal with “this scourge of foreign fighters”.
This is understood to include requiring all Turkey’s airlines to share timely and accurate information about airline passengers flying from Turkish airports direct to the UK.
Mr Cameron said that Britain and Turkey would work “hand in glove” to combat the threat from Isil.
He said: “The prime minister and I have agreed that we should exchange even more information, we should cooperate more in terms of intelligence.
“We should work hand in glove because the people who are travelling, whether from Britain or elsewhere, sometimes through Turkey, sometimes in other ways to Syria and Iraq.
“These are people that threaten us back at home so we should do everything that we can and we’ve had very productive discussions today.”
Mr Davutoglu said that “Turkey has never tolerated their transit through our territory or their existence in Syria”.
He added: “These fighters are creating a threat for us in Turkey, they are casting a shadow over the just cause of the Syrian people.
“No country can claim that it is under more of a threat than Turkey.” He added that “in no way did any Isis leader pass through the Turkish border”.
In July Jean Claude Juncker, the new European Commission President, said that there would be a five year pause before any more countries were allowed to join the EU.
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