The Trieste Forum is an introduction to the 2007 “Turks in Europe” project, organized by the Europa Cultura Association. After having proposed an articulate historical and cultural reflection concerning Turkey and its interactions with Europe over the centuries, this year the Association wishes to focus on the current debate regarding Turkey’s prospective accession to the European Union, with all the political and economic implications it entails. The Forum entitled “The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Eurasia’s Gateway. Europe meets Turkey” wishes to further develop the project of exchange and cultural encounter promoted all through 2006 with exhibitions, meetings, shows and film screenings, by means of which the promoters desired to emphasize the prospect of “Euroasiatic” integration viewed as a precious possibility for cultural and human co-existence within the framework of a future economic and political integration.  “Turks in Europe” thus acts as a red thread tightly binding past, present and future together, in a region - Friuli Venezia Giulia - that has rapidly become the new centre of mass of the European Union. The EU accession negotiations with Turkey are undergoing a delicate phase and after the recent local and presidential Turkish elections they could gain new impetus in view of the forthcoming verification phase, already scheduled at EU headquarters.  It therefore becomes valuable to offer a set of public encounters and operational confrontations on these issues, tangible confirmations of the opportunity to encourage Turkey’s challenging process of obtaining fully-fledged membership in the European Union on the basis of the principles accepted by its member states.

The last ten years have shown us how the desire to become a member of the EU has been the true driving force towards the process of democratization in Eastern Europe.  From the very onset of the Helsinki negotiations, it spurred Ankara to start an organic system of reforms, representing a crucial potential element of security and stability for Europe, and of attaining an equilibrium between the West and the Islamic East.  Europe therefore remains interested in keeping a realistic and watchful –yet positive -eye on the progress undertaken by the Turkish state to embrace the prospect of European accession.  The prospect of integrating in a common political identity, whose economic and commercial aspects have rapidly, and also historically, found a fertile ground; whose cultural sphere has activated reciprocal tools for a deeper acquaintance.  Turkey in the EU as a message from Europe to the Islamic world: the most evident proof of the fact that our continent guarantees the shared values of respect, dialogue and tolerance, beyond any possible debate on religious beliefs.

Within this framework, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region – for historical, geographical and cultural reasons – is not only Europe’s “outpost” towards the East.  It is also the focal point from which the old Continent can project itself towards the new Euroasiatic borders created by the epochal transformations witnessed across Europe over the past fifteen years, changing and augmenting its languages, cultures, traditions, as well as its political and economical perspectives.  The Friuli Venezia Giulia region has proved its desire to act as a driving force and not merely as a passageway for a difficult yet challenging process of European integration.  Over the past two years a proactive dialogue has been built with Turkey and Ankara thanks to the contacts and official missions performed by the region and its entrepreneurial forces, as well as the visits of the Turkish ambassador in Italy, Mr. Ugur Ziyal on the occasion of the cultural project “Turks in Europe” organized during the course of 2006 upon the initiative of the Europa Cultura Association.  A project, which, over the months, has had a significant follow-up in terms of inter-institutional, political and economic dialogue, creating a wide “network” of institutional partnerships: the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the Presidency of the Italian Republic and the Italian Council Presidency, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Cultural Activities and Goods and Community Policies, the Turkish Government and Turkish Embassy in Italy, the Municipalities of Pordenone, Trieste, Udine and Palmanova, the Province of Udine, the Universities of Udine, Trieste and Venice, the Centre for Contemporary Art, Villa Manin.  The private partners of “Turks in Europe 2006” were FIAT, as its main sponsor, together with Banca Popolare FriulAdria, Fondazione CRUP, Fondazione CRTrieste, AssIndustria Udine, Banca di Cividale, Consorzio Turismo Friuli, Samer&Co. Shipping, Iveco, Confcommercio Udine, Moroso, Sistema Museo, Trenitalia, whereas Gruppo Espresso was its media partner.

organized by
Associazione Europa Cultura
supported by
Regione autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento per le Politiche Comunitarie
Ministero per gli Affari Esteri
Ministero per il Commercio Internazionale
Ambasciata della Repubblica di Turchia in Italia

with the patronage of
Comune di Trieste
Provincia di Trieste
Camera di Commercio di Trieste
Università degli Studi di Trieste

in collaboration with
Samer & Co. Shipping
Le Oru – IMER Group
Banca di Cividale