Turkey is not European

Wylie Cunningham should know that by being willing to accept Turkey as a member of the EU, he is not only manipulating European identity but he is undoubtedly accepting a country that has one of the poorest human rights records in all of "Europe" (The Sunday Times, February 12).

Mr Cunningham's attempt to forget history for the sake of a promising future is too naïve and risky. Paying lip service to values is not enough!

Mr Cunningham clearly states that I am nowhere near skilled in dealing with "living history". In my view there is no such thing as "living history". It is just a cliché. I am very well aware of "living"/contemporary history. In 1915, the Turks decided to deport the whole Armenian population of about 1,750,000 to Syria and Mesopotamia.

Records show that the operation was carried out with the utmost barbarity. It is estimated that 600,000 Armenians died or were massacred en route. The bitter resentment shown towards the Kurds is also part of our contemporary history. Simply ignoring such events for an 'ideal' future is an uncalculated risk which I am sure Mr Cunningham himself would not want to take. To quote Patrick Henry (1775): "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past".

According to Mr Cunningham "it surely makes economic and political sense for Turkey to welcome Europe with open arms". While it is true that Turkey has the potential to boost Europe's economy (since it is a huge developing country), from a historical, political and moral point of view, Europe should only welcome Turkey with open arms if and when certain conditions are met in due course.

Ever since invading Cyprus in 1974 and consequently dividing the country, Turkey has never ceded its conquered territory back to the Cypriots. This undoubtedly goes against all rights for freedom and liberty which, as Mr Cunningham knows, are enshrined in the draft Constitution of Europe.

I would like to know what Mr Cunningham would say if a country invaded and occupied his own country, separating him from perhaps most of his family and friends. It is absolutely folly to try to ignore the pain of people who, for decades, have been politically divided - Germany and Cyprus are two contemporary stories in the history of Europe.

It is also evident that Mr Cunningham truly believes in the "essence" of the "Treaty of Rome" - promoting unity and freedom from wars. However, I very much doubt Turkey does! I am sure that Mr Cunningham didn't realise that by not recognising Cyprus as a full sovereign member state of the EU, Turkey does not recognise or even respect the very essence of the European Union itself!

I do not wish to be cynical but if Mr Cunningham truly believes in freedom and liberty, he would acknowledge that Turkey should join the EU if, and only if, it gives back Cypriot land to its legitimate owners.

Furthermore, a statement of apology on its role in the Armenian saga would also put many European minds at rest. Unless these political gestures are accomplished, I doubt very much whether Mr Cunningham himself would want to form part of an EU prepared to sacrifice the essence of European values. Having said this, I would still reiterate that Turkey is not European but can benefit from the EU's foreign policies such as the ENP.