istanbul (jta) | Turkey’s Jewish community is warmly welcoming a European Union report issued last week that opens the way for Turkey to become an EU member, saying it will help propel reforms that will foster democracy and religious freedom.
“It’s good news. It means that the” reform “process will continue,” a senior Turkish Jewish community official said.
The report took stock of progress Turkey has made on what are called the “Copenhagen Criteria,” EU-mandated reforms in a number of areas, including human rights and democratization. The criteria were created in 1999 as part of Turkey’s decades-long effort to join the union.
The positive report will serve as the basis for a decision, to be made at a Dec. 17 EU summit, on when to begin negotiations with Turkey on its accession. Negotiations are expected to last from 10 to 15 years.
Among the issues the European Union is monitoring closely is treatment of Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities, including the country’s Jewish community, which is estimated to number some 25,000.
During a recent fact-finding visit to Turkey, Gunter Verheugen, the EU official responsible for enlargement, met with the country’s chief rabbi, Isak Haleva.
Answering the questions of EU parliamentarians in Strasbourg, France, following the report, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dealt with the issue of religious minorities, saying Jews and Christians in Turkey are allowed to practice their religion freely.
While agreeing with Erdogan, the EU progress report also offered some important caveats.
“With respect to freedom of religion, although freedom of religious belief is guaranteed in the Constitution and freedom to worship is largely unhampered, non-Muslim religious communities continue to encounter obstacles,” the report said.
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