Symposium hears contrasting views on Turkey's accession to the EU

Symposium hears contrasting views on Turkey's accession to the EU

Contrasting views were presented on Turkey’s prospects of accession to the EU by academics

and analysts from the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Russia, Canada, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Israel

and Cyprus during symposium on 13-14 May in Nicosia organized by the Research and Development

Center – Intercollege and the Lyman L. Lemnitzer Center for NATO and EU Studies, Kent State

University.

The Symposium entitled “Turkey, the EU and the US: High Stakes, Uncertain Prospects” attracted

great interest and generated some lively discussions among the panel and participants. There were

arguments about the predicted positive outcomes of Turkey’s accession while it was also held that

Turkey’s membership would be a negative development for the future of the EU. Political, economic,

social and cultural aspects of the issue were analyzed as were regional and strategic implications and

Turkey’s relations with the US and Russia. The Cyprus problem was also addressed in relation to Turkey’s

EU accession bid with the prevailing view being that Turkey should let Cyprus go and that the Republic

of Cyprus, having matured and now.

Research & Development Center - Intercollege