The choice made by Turkey, its leaders and its social forces to link its future to that of Europe is not a recent one, nor was it in 1963 when the Association Agreement was signed with the Europe of the Six. This vocation has a much longer history. It was during the formation of the Turkish Republic– born out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire–that the country decided to cast its lot with Europe. The radical reforms undertaken by Kemal Atatürk to modernise and westernise the country reflected a deliberate choice to link Turkey's destiny to those of the other European democracies and is a strong affirmation of shared values.