European Forum

Miliband: Turning Turkey away from EU 'unconscionable'

In a major foreign policy speech pronounced on Monday (26 October), UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for Turkey's full membership of the EU, provided that the candidate country satisfies human rights standards and addresses the role of the military and the separation of powers. Miliband also spoke about Europe's responsibility to integrate the Western Balkans, highlighting the need to solve current setbacks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a broader sense, he said that by enlarging, the EU has become stronger, and that all had benefited from this – both older members and newcomers.

The UK foreign secretary also saw the Eastern Partnership, the recently launched new framework for cooperation between the European Union and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as a "step toward possible membership" of the Union. British diplomats told the press that Miliband's speech was not to be seen as a policy programme in a campaign for the post of the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Miliband himself said that he was "fully booked" and did not harbour ambitions of an EU career. According to many pundits, Miliband's pro-Turkey positions will likely exclude him from the race, as he would be vetoed by "more than one country".

Source: Euroactive