EU's former high representative says union needs Turkish people's energy to become global actor

WASHINGTON (A.A) - June 14, 2011 - A former high representative of the European Union has said that Europe needed fresh perspective and energy of the people of Turkey in order to become a global actor.
Javier Solana, EU's former High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, commented on Turkey's EU membership process in an article titled "Why Turkey Must Join the EU?" on CNN World's web-site.
Solana said in his article that the latest "Arab Spring" should refocus Europe's attention on an issue largely ignored in recent months, which was the benefits of Turkey's full membership in the EU.
The former representative said that the tremendous opportunities present in the current circumstances clearly showed the advantages Europe would obtain from Turkey's accession to the union.
"With Recep Tayyip Erdogan now elected to another term as Turkey's prime minister, and with Poland, a country well acquainted with the importance of Europe's strategic position in the world, assuming the EU presidency at the end of the month, now is a time for the Union and Turkey to 'reset' their negotiations over Turkish membership," Solana said in his piece.
"Europe is, by definition, culturally diverse, so diversity is the EU's destiny. And, if Europe is to become an active global player, rather than a museum, it needs the fresh perspective and energy of the people of Turkey," the official added. 
Noting that both the EU and Turkey needed each other politically, Solana said, "Turkey's neighborhood is our neighborhood; its problems are our problems".
The former representative also said that Turkey's EU membership was a dream of his and he would continue to fight to make such dream a reality.
Javier Solana acted as the EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy between the years 1999-2009. He is also a former Secretary General of NATO. Currently, Solana is a Distinguished Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the U.S. Brookings Institution.