06.03.2014 Ankara
EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with ICC Chairman Harold McGraw and ICC Board Members during a business lunch hosted by ICC Board Member, ICC Turkey National Committee and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.
In his speech, European Union (EU) Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt
Çavuşoğlu said, in regards to the developments in Ukraine, “We have no need for
new conflicts, new wars.”
Çavuşoğlu went on:
“The EU decided to provide Ukraine with 11 billion Euros in aid. Could
this aid have come sooner? It could have come much, much earlier. Today
especially, the EU needs to reassess European institutions and Russia – Europe
policies. A crisis, instability, in Europe could effect the whole world.
Despite all the crises, we consider Europe to be the most democratic,
developed, stable and reliable continent.”
- Developments in Europe
Stating that the ICC was founded following WWI in order to reestablish
trade, finance and investments in the international level, Çavuşoğlu pointed
out that the ICC, dubbed “the merchants of peace”, play a very important role
in world trade and investment.
“The greatest threat to the peace, stability, economic development and
the values which unite us is the rising wave of racism and xenophobia – all
kinds of phobias. We’ve seen these spill over into action – into actual acts of
terrorism, even in a country like Norway. We’ve seen it in neo-Nazi attacks in
Germany. We’ve seen it in the increase of parliament space of racist parties.”
- Cyprus issue
Çavuşoğlu stated that the worst obstacle for economic development is
conflict in various parts of the world and controversy.
Pointing out that a permanent solution to the Cyprus issue will be brought
at the end of this year, Çavuşoğlu said that this would also accelerate
Turkey’s EU process.