Turkey & The Euro
It is well known that Turkey wishes to join the EU, and that many MEP's and EU ministers want Turkey to become an EU member. If Turkey does join the EU, it will be the largest of the new admissions, and therefore an important one as far as the EU is concerned. There are however a number of problems. About 95% of Turkey is in Asia not Europe, so it stretches and distorts the original concept of a European union. There are concerns over Turkey's record on human rights, it is largely a muslim country whereas most of the EU members are largely Christian, and Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus, so the Cypriot question would need to be resolved before it's path was clear for entry into EU membership.
We believe that Turkey may eventually join the Euro, probably after 2004, along with about a dozen other countries. It is not known whether any official plans have been made to produce pattern designs for a set of Turkish euro coins.

Political Considerations
Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. Turkey occupied the northern portion of Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island; relations between the two countries remain strained but have begun to improve over the past three years. In 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Marxist-Leninist, separatist group, initiated an insurgency in Southeast Turkey, often using terrorist tactics to try to attain its goal of an independent Kurdistan. The group - whose leader, Abdullah OCALAN, was captured in Kenya in February 1999 and sentenced to death by a Turkish court - has observed a unilateral cease-fire since September 1999, although there have been occasional clashes between Turkish military units and some of the 4,000-5,000 armed PKK militants, most of whom currently are encamped in northern Iraq. The PKK changed its name to the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) in April 2002.

Unofficial Patterns
On a number of previous occasions, especially before major coinage changes, pattern coins have been produced as a design exercise or to test public opinion. Many of these have been privately produced. A privately produced pattern set of British euro coins has already been produced, and met with intense demand, despite almost negligible marketing. Original priced at around �40, these have changed hands for over �250 on e-bay.
We have not yet seen any suggested designs for Turkish euro coins, but...
Watch this space!

Availability & Prices:
Turkish euro sets
Watch this space

Date	Description	Status	Availability	Price ï¿½	Price $	Price ï¿½
Unknown	Unknown	Unknown		�	$	€

Postage & Packing, Per Shipment:

• UK: At buyer's Risk �3.50 or
  Fully Insured �9 (Usually by Royal Mail Special Delivery)
  
• USA: Airmail at buyer's risk $10 or
  Fully Insured (Usually via Fedex or Datapost) $40
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