I've lost the source where I got this information (and all I'm writing is what I can remember about the article):
- The Turkish women got the right to vote before the women for example in Italy
- Some Christians fear that Europe becomes settled my Moslims; the Turkish government has been very secularized after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded it in 1923. The military forces have a right to veto if the development is going towards islamism (although the fact that the democracy works under strict (is it? idk) supervision, which is very much alike with with the military dictatorships (right word?) of the Latin America, I think it's a pretty much a good thing in a country like Turkey. As long as it keeps steady.
- People say that Turkey is Asian, not European: first Byzant, then Osman kingdom covered the whole Balkan - the culture nowadays is more Balkan than middle eastern.
- The Cyprus conflict wasn't actually all caused by the Turks: the Turks occupied the North Cyprus after the Greek military government had supported the revolution on the island. The Turkey was concerned about the Turks on Cyprus (though I'm sure it wasn't all just "good will"). However, this comes up surprisingly seldom.
The Turks will still have a lot of work to do to get their civil rights and other demanded things to get to the European Union, but I hope it won't take really long.
The EU is supposed to be not just an economy and political power - it's supposed to be a group to make the weak countries in Europe stronger, which helps also the economy and increases political power too.
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I'm pro EU, but I don't really like the situation at the moment. The people in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxemburg woke up too late, the French and the Dutch had already protested. Those who decide should always be aware what's happening and correct the wrong statements. I also fear that they are going to start to make EU-propaganda - probably the worst thing to do. There should always be healthy self-criticism too.
"The European Union may not be the best option - but it's the best possible." That was the slogan before the vote here in Finland in 1995. I was five years old, but I think that's pretty much true even today.