Excerpt:
Chairman of the German Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ruprecht Polenz, argues in favour of Turkish accession to the EU, and grapples with negative western perceptions of the nation, as well as of Islam. He spoke to Eren Güvercin.
Herr Polenz, you have campaigned for a long time now for Turkish membership of the EU. It's a viewpoint consolidated in your book, which has just been published. But isn't yours a lone voice within your party, the CDU?
Ruprecht Polenz: I'm not alone, but mine is a minority-held view. I wrote the book to change that.
The Chancellor and broad sections of the CDU are more in favour of a "privileged partnership". Which arguments do you cite for full EU membership for Turkey?
Ruprecht Polenz: Turkey has earned a fair chance. If it completely fulfils the Copenhagen criteria not just on paper, but also in practice, then it must also be able to become a member of the European Union. It would be in the interests of both Turkey and the EU if this process is successfully brought to a close. But above all it depends on what happens in Turkey itself, whether society undergoes such profound change that it can be integrated into the EU.