Address
Of the Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, H.E.
Mr. Vecdi Gonul
MR. CHAIRMAN
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND
OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHAIRMAN IN OFFICE, THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA,
FOR CONVENING THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SPEAKERS OF THE PARLIAMENTS FROM
THE COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS
(SEECP).
BEFORE CARRYING ON WITH
MY INTERVENTION, I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR MACEDONIAN
HOSTS FOR THEIR WARM HOSPITALITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN ENJOYING SINCE OUR
ARRIVAL IN THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY OF SKOPJE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, THE FOURTH
SUMMIT MEETING OF THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE SOUTHEAST
EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS (SEECP) WAS HELD AGAIN HERE IN SKOPJE ABOUT
A MONTH AGO.
DURING THAT SUMMIT MEETING,
THE PARTICIPATING STATES ONCE AGAIN CONFIRMED THEIR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT
TO THE SEECP WHICH IS THE ONLY INDIGENOUS COOPERATION PROCESS IN THE
BALKAN GEOGRAPHY.
THEY ALSO UNDERLINED THE
FACT THAT THIS PROCESS, BY STRENGTHENING THE REGIONAL COOPERATION AMONG
THE BALKAN STATES, HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTING TO THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNTRIES
OF THE REGION TOWARDS INTEGRATING INTO THE EURO -ATLANTIC STRUCTURES.
AT THE SKOPJE SUMMIT
MEETING, DECISIONS WERE TAKEN TO THE EFFECT THAT THE SCOPE OF THIS COOPERATION
PROCESS BE DIVERSIFIED BY ORGANIZING SARTORIAL MEETINGS IN THE FIELDS
OF TRANSPORT, ENERGY, HEALTH, SPORTS, COMMUNICATION AND ENVIRONMENT.
I HOPE THAT OUR GATHERING
HERE TODAY HELPS FURTHER ENHANCE THE PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSIONS OF THIS
COOPERATION PROCESS.
I PARTICULARLY USED THE
VERB OF "FURTHER ENHANCE" RATHER THAN "INITIATE".
INDEED, THE PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSIONS OF THIS PROCESS STARTED IN 1999.
BY THE GATHERING IN ANKARA OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS
COMMITTEES OF THE PARLIAMENTS OF THE SEECP PARTICIPATING STATES. THIS
PROJECT WAS LAUNCHED BY MR. MURAT KARAYALCIN, THEN CHAIRPERSON OF THE
SAID COMMITTEE OF THE TGNA.
FOLLOWING THE BUCHAREST
MEETING OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES OF OUR
PARLIAMENTS, THIS YEAR THE MACEDONIAN CHAIRMANSHIP UPGRADED THE LEVEL
TO THAT OF THE SPEAKERS AND THEREFORE HELPED TO THE CONTINUITY OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION OF THE SEECP.
EVENTUALLY, THE EVENTS
THAT TOOK PLACE IN OUR REGION IN THE PAST YEAR HAD AN OVERWHELMING EFFECT
IN THIS REGARD. FOLLOWING THE GENERAL ELECTIONS IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC
OF YUGOSLAVIA AS WELL AS THE ENSUING DEVELOPMENTS LEADING TO A DEMOCRATIC
TRANSITION IN THIS COUNTRY HAD AN EFFERVESCENCE IMPACT ON OUR SOUL.
WE SHALL LOOK INTO THE FUTURE WITH MORE HOPE NOW.
I BELIEVE THAT THE REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA IN TODAY'S MEETING ARE JOINING
US FOR THE FIRST TIME I WANT TO SAY "WELCOME" TO THE GENUINE
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE YUGOSLAV PEOPLE.
I ALSO WISH TO CONGRATULATE
BOTH THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF THE YUGOSLAVIA AND THE BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
FOR THEIR SIGNING DURING THE SKOPJE SUMMIT MEETING THE DECLARATION AFFIRMING
THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHARTER ON GOOD NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS, STABILITY,
SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE" WHICH WAS SIGNED
BY THE OTHER PARTICIPATING STATES IN BUCHAREST ON 12 FEBRUARY 2000.
MR. CHAIRMAN,
SINCE THE PARLIAMENTARIANS
ARE THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE, I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT
THE DELEGATES AROUND THIS TABLE ARE REPRESENTING ABOUT 130 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE BALKAN GEOGRAPHY.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT
ETHNICITIES, POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS AND CULTURES. THESE VARIETIES ARE
NO DOUBT THE RICHNESS AND THE SPECIALTY OF THE BALKANS. WHAT SHOULD
BE DONE NOW IS TO GRASP AND BOLSTER THE COMMON DENOMINATORS OF OUR PEOPLES
WHILE PRESERVING THESE VARIETIES.
SINCE THE PARLIAMENTS
AS WELL AS THE PARLIAMENTARIANS ARE ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF DEMOCRACY.
I BELIEVE THAT IT IS
OUR MORAL DUTY TO HELP THESE PRINCIPLES GAIN DEEP ROOTS IN OUR SOCIETIES.
EXCEPT GREECE, THE OTHER
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED HERE TODAY ARE ON THE WAY TO INTEGRATE INTO THE
EUROPEAN UNION. I BELIEVE THAT IN THE FUTURE ALL THE PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
OF THE SEECP WILL ALSO BE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERS. SUFFICE IT TO REMIND
THAT ONE OF THE MAIN INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNION IS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT.
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
IS ONE THE THREE LEGS OF THE UNION TOGETHER WITH THE EXECUTIVE AND THE
JUDICIAL BODIES OF THE SYSTEM IF I MAY SAY, THE PARLIAMENT SYMBOLIZES
THE ELEVATION OF THE DUTY OF LEGISLATION FROM THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO
THAT OF A SUPRANATIONAL ONE.
LEGISLATIVE BODIES ARE
THE INDISPENSABLE INGREDIENT OF A GENUINE DEMOCRACY. FOR THAT REASON,
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ATTACHES UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO THE HOLDING
OF FAIR ELECTIONS IN COUNTRIES WHICH ARE IN TRANSITION PERIODS.
SUCCESSFUL REALIZATION
OF THE ELECTIONS ARE SEEN AS AN INDICATION THAT DEMOCRACY STARTED TO
MATURE IN A PARTICULAR COUNTRY.
I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD
NOT BE MISLEADING TO COME TO SUCH A CONCLUSION THAT THE PARLIAMENTARIANS,
ELECTED BY THE FREE WILL OF THE PEOPLE AND THUS THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVES
OF THEM, CAN PLAY A MAJOR ROLE AS FAR AS STABILITY, GOOD-NEIGHBORLY
RELATIONS, SECURITY AND COOPERATION ARE CONCERNED.
THEREFORE, I HAVE TO CONVICTION
THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL IF THE MEETINGS OF THE SPEAKERS OF THE PARLIAMENTS
FROM THE SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE ORGANIZED ANNUALLY IN THE
COUNTRY HOLDING THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE PROCESS LIKEWISE, I BELIEVE
THAT THE CONTINUITY OF THE MEETINGS AMONG THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE FOREIGN
AFFAIRS COMMITTEES WILL DECIDEDLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION OF THIS PROCESS.
MR. CHAIRMAN,
BEFORE CONCLUDING, I
WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS ON THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS TAKING PLACE
NEAR THE NORTHERN BORDER OF MACEDONIA.
WHILE STRONGLY CONDEMNING
THE VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY EXTREMIST ELEMENTS ON THE NORTHERN BORDER
OF MACEDONIA, TURKEY STANDS RESOLVED AGAINST ALL ARMED ACTS REGARDLESS
OF THEIR SOURCE AND MOTIVATION.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE THREAT
POSED BY THE EXTREME ELEMENTS TO THE SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE REPUBLIC
OF MACEDONIA SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY ELIMINATED.
WE STAND BY MACEDONIA
AT HER HOUR OF DISTRESS AND COMMEND HER POLICY OF RESTRAINT AND COOPERATION.
WE HOPE THAT THE TROUBLES THAT BESET THE REGION WILL BE SOLVED THROUGH
POLITICAL MEANS AND DIALOGUE, TURKEY SHALL CONTINUE TO MAKE HER CONTRIBUTIONS
IN THIS REGARD.
I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE
TURKEY'S UNDERSTANDING THAT THE RESPECT FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF INVIOLABILITY
OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BORDERS OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION,
INCLUDING THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, IS AN INDISPENSABLE CONDITION FOR
THE PROTECTION OF REGIONAL STABILITY AND SECURITY.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK
ONCE AGAIN TO MR. STOYAN ANDOV, THE SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA FOR ORGANIZING THIS SUCCESSFUL MEETING I WISH
TO SEE ALL HONORABLE HEADS OF DELEGATION IN TIRANA NEXT YEAR AT THE
SECOND MEETING HOPEFULLY TO BE GATHERED BY THE PRESENT CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE,
ALBANIA.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
ATTENTION.
