ANKARA
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the importance of the nation state would decrease if a centralized system was approved in EU.
Addressing the Anadolu Agency's (AA) News Academy trainees at the HQ of the AA in Ankara on Friday, Davutoglu said there was a very dynamic process of transformation in the international arena and EU had been transforming from an economic union in to a political union, on a question on the crisis in the EU.
Davutoglu stated there had always been a correlation between crisis and transformation in the EU. Therefore, despite of all the difficulties, because of the economic crisis in Europe, they had to be aware of the fact that EU would be re-shaped, re-formed through this crisis and through this transformation" added Davutoglu. He said Turkey had been following this very closely.
Mentioning that there were two tendencies in the EU, Davutoglu continued;
"One is deepening and more deepening because of the harmonization of fiscal and monetary policies. If you want to harmonize fiscal and monetary policies in a country or in an economic zone then you have to have a much more centralized system. Centralized system in a sense of the control of budget deficit and how to use your monetary policies through fiscal policies and harmonization of these policies. Therefore this one tendency is to create a more centralized economic administration which would lead to political transformation as well. The role of nation states will decrease, if this new approach is being adapted. The other tendency is there are some countries who are questioning even the existing close and deepening policies of the EU. Like England, like Sweden. Those who are not part of Euro zone are looking for a much more loose federation or loose structure in EU. These two trends will be competing in EU in coming months and years. As Turkey, of course we are following this very closely because if a two track Europe will emerge Turkish membership will have a new meaning in this process".
He said they wish the EU would be more strengthened and more open in the sense of enlargement at the end of this process.
-Advice to students-
He said he was excited to attend the News Academy as an academic and as a foreign minister. He said training diplomacy journalists was a revolutionary step and congratulated AA for it.
He warned students that sometimes wrong messages could be given via diplomacy journalists and advised students that the direct relations among the diplomats and diplomacy journalists would contribute to a positive change. He also underlined the importance of following the world agenda closely. He gave the example of journalist Mehmet Ali Birand, who passed away recently, adding that he had a good grasp of the agenda and had expertise in how to ask questions.
-AA takes big steps-
He said media outlets may strengthen its country, giving the examples of BBC-UK and Al Jazeera-Qatar. He said the role of the media outlets increase when the foreign policy of a country enhance. Saying that Turkey had been experiencing a big change in communication and added the steps AA and TRT had been taking were a reflection of Turkey's strategic new perspective.
-AA Director General Kemal Ozturk-
Chairman of the Board and AA Director General Kemal Ozturk briefed Davutoglu about the News Academy. He said the academy students would be the main veins of the English News desk of the AA in the coming years and added "they would follow you on your visits abroad as diplomacy journalists".
AA's certificate programs on diplomacy and finance journalism were set as part of the agency's centennial vision in order to train a new generation of journalists.
