"Is the sick man of Europe poised to be healthy?
GHULAM MURSHED
THE Ottomans once conquered Europe and were its virtual masters. It is an irony that their descendents today have been knocking on EU's doors for the last 41 years to get an entry into it, the European Union, a regional forum. The EU's public and politicians both have made Turkey's membership discriminatory and are uneasy about its large population and above all, Islam, the religion of 71 million Turks, even though the country has a secular constitution. But when compared with some of the new entrants of EU, including the communist bloc of erstwhile Warsaw Pact Turkey is a much more deserving case in terms of socio-economic advancement. Turkey's economy is fast growing and is poised to post a 6 per cent GDP growth rate per annum by 2012, per capita income will be over $9000. Turkey's membership will contribute 400 billion euros to the EU during this period, and its imports from EU will be about more than 150 billion euros from the current 28bn. The country can offer a well-trained and disciplined workforce to Europe's dwindling and aging population. Its geographical location is a strategic asset for Europe.
It can help Europeans build bridge with the Islamic world as well as 15 million Muslims living in Europe."
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