| At an Opening Conference on 9th September in Ankara, HE Ali Babacan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chief Negotiator, marked the launch of the 119 grant-assisted projects under CSD with a keynote speech. The Minister thanked all the stakeholders involved in the launch of the Grant Schemes, especially the EUSG for coordinating CSD, the CFCU as the Contracting Authority, and the support of the European Commission. He wished success to all the grant beneficiaries and emphasized how important it is for the Civil Society Dialogue to gain momentum.Civil Society Dialogue is the third pillar of the preparatory process for Turkey to accede to the EU, and Minister Babacan pointed out that ‘like a photographer’s tripod, without a strong third pillar the other two pillars are unstable’. Thus, the CSD Project will make a great contribution to the third pillar, complementing the ongoing reform process, the first pillar, and the second pillar representing the framework for accession negotiations.Ambassador Marc Pierini, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, also addressed the Conference, emphasizing the role that dialogue plays in building stronger mutual understanding: ‘We work together with our Turkish partners to create opportunities for Turkish and European citizens to get closer, to experience different cultures and different ways of dealing with common challenges. Bridging the gap between perceptions and reality is a key function of this programme’.The Opening Conference was hosted by the EUSG and in his welcome speech, Ambassador Oguz Demiralp, Secretary General for EU Affairs, congratulated the organizations that had been awarded grants, and remarked on the increasing value that societies in the Member States place on Turkey’s future role in Europe: A value that will grow with the investment of initiatives like the CSD.A report on the Conference, including the speeches of both Minister Babacan and Ambassador Pierini, presentations from the Conference, and a gallery of photographs, will shortly be available on this site.For further details of the launch of CSD please see the Press Release in the e-library (www.csdproject.net/web). |
