There is, however, strong resistance to Turkey’s EU accession in virtually every EU country, based on memories of centuries of bloody Turkish conquest, the fear of Turkish mass migration, and the likelihood of massive transfers of economic aid from EU taxpayers to Turkey, as occurred when other poor countries acceded to EU membership.
President Bush has been pushing for EU membership for Turkey since early in his administration, heedless of the fact that outside of the ranks of the EU’s ruling elites, common Europeans resent this meddling in their vital internal affairs. The 2006 Bilderberg meeting in Ottawa, Canada, included six Turkish representatives, among whom was Egemon Bagis, member of parliament and foreign policy adviser to the prime minister. Bilderberg 2007 was awash in Turks, as the organization held its first summit in Turkey, in Istanbul. Expect economic and political pressure from Washington and Brussels for Turkey’s admittance to the EU to increase, despite legitimate widespread concern among Europeans about the already serious “Islamification” of Europe.
Turkish representation at the 2008 confab in Virginia included Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Babacan, journalist Zeynep Gogus, Member of Parliament Faik Oztrak, and business executives Mustafa Koc and Ferit Sahenk — as well as a number of high-level former American officials whose lobbying and consulting firms represent Turkish government and financial interests.
