When Foreign Minister George Vella visits Turkey this week for talks with his counterpart on some pressing issues in our region, it will constitute the first-ever bilateral official visit by a Maltese Foreign Minister to Turkey.
Turkey and Malta established diplomatic ties in 1967, while contacts between Malta and Turkey date back to the 16th century. Since then, relations have evolved into one of friendship and partnership. A small number of Maltese people settled in Izmir and Istanbul in the 17th century and contributed to the vibrant life of these cities. Presently, there are over 500 Turkish nationals living in Malta, who enjoy the benefits of a dynamic, growing economy.
In the last decade, Turkish-Maltese relations have taken an unprecedented pace thanks to strong political commitment from the Turkish and Maltese leadership, growing interests of business circles and an intensification of people to people contacts. As Vella coins it: “Maltese and Turkish relations have never been closer in their history.”
The establishment of the Joint Trade and Economic Committee between Turkey and Malta was another milestone in our economic relations. Our bilateral trade volume reached $1 billion in 2014, thanks to the untiring efforts of the Turkish-Maltese business councils within the Chamber of Commerce of Malta and the Foreign Economic Relations Council of Turkey. Turkish investments in Malta already exceed $1.6 billion and the trend is upward.
Especially promising is the tourism sector, as both countries are major tourist destinations. Last year Turkey received over 36 million foreign guests, making our country the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world. Serviced by two daily Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Malta, one can safely expect an exponential increase in the number of tourists visiting both countries.
Our bilateral cooperation within the EU framework is also of great value to Turkey. Malta has a principled stance in supporting Turkey’s bid to become a full member of the EU. We strongly believe Turkey’s eventual membership to the EU will be a win-win formula for Turkey and the EU. As recent events regarding the migration crisis demonstrated, the two sides need each other to effectively cope with and counter the formidable challenges of our time. Cognizant of this fact, the EU and Turkey intensified contacts and held three summits in less than four months to devise an effective strategy to manage migratory flows.
As measures to support the implementation of the Joint Action Plan (JAP), activated last November, we have scaled up our efforts to save the lives of migrants and prevent migrant trafficking in the Aegean Sea. Only last year the Turkish coast guard saved around 10,000 migrants at sea.
For Turkey, the refugee problem is not one of bargaining with the EU, but a humanitarian issue, concerning European values
A new regulation to allow Syrians to work in Turkey came into force, the visa regime for Syrians who wish to travel to Turkey from third countries has been revised, security efforts by the Turkish coast guard and police have been stepped up, and enhanced information sharing and NATO action in the Aegean Sea have been put into effect.
Furthermore, as recently as March 18, 2016, Turkey and the EU, while reconfirming the implementation of the JAP, decided to end the irregular migration from Turkey to the EU by implementing a number of additional measures in order to break the business model of the smugglers. What is important now is to ensure that both sides live up to their commitments in good faith.
I regret to observe that there is some misunderstanding about the financial resources, labelled “generous”, included in the agreement between Turkey and the EU. For Turkey, the refugee problem is not one of bargaining with the EU, but a humanitarian issue, concerning European values which some EU members have conveniently chosen to neglect.
The funds allocated by the EU will not be compensation for Turkey’s cooperation and assistance. They will be strictly spent on the needs of Syrians under a temporary protection regime in Turkey in an effort to improve their situation to stay in Turkey. My country has been dealing with the migration flows for the last five years and pursued an open-door policy for 2.7 million Syrians fleeing a brutal regime in Syria. We have spent more than $9 billion for refugees who live in camps and dispersed all over Turkey.
Migration will feature prominently in the meetings during Vella’s visit to Turkey. However, our common endeavours go far beyond this international problem. Turkey views Malta’s 2017 EU presidency as an opportunity to work closely on the EU-Turkey bilateral agenda. Opening new chapters of negotiations during Malta’s presidency would also be an achievement, considering that 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The occasion of the 50th anniversary calls for a celebration of the exemplary partnership between Turkey and Malta.
Reha Keskintepe is the Turkish Ambassador to Malta.