Political Quotes

“Turkey has been a strategic ally of the United States for many years, particularly in our efforts to contain Soviet communism, and of course Turkey was an indispensable ally to the United States during the Persian Gulf war. Today the country of Turkey is at a crossroads. A Kurdish insurrection is raging in the southeast. An Islamic fundamentalist movement is spreading throughout Istanbul and Ankara. In the Islamic world there are two models of government; one is the Khomeni model in Iran, and the other is Turkey, the only country among 52 Moslem countries that is secular and democratic. Turkey's most immediate problem is economic. In 1993, the Turkish lira began to engage in a sharp fall. Since then, investment has slowed down and inflation has reached an annual rate of 150 percent. To help solve these economic problems, it is essential for Turkey's long-term stability that it be admitted to the European Union. The Clinton administration has acknowledged that they have not paid enough attention to this issue, and they are stepping up their activities. Today, southern Europe is one of the most volatile areas in the world, and it is time for the U.S. Government to step up diplomatic activities to assure admittance of our longtime ally, Turkey, into the European Union.”