TURKISH MINISTER BELIEVES TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP TO BE EU’S PRIORITY
Anadolu Agency
April 17 2009
Turkey
A Turkish state minister expressed his belief on Friday that Turkey’s
membership would be the priority of the European Union (EU).
Turkey’s State Minister Egemen Bagis, who is also the chief negotiator
for EU talks, said that he believed Turkey’s membership would be EU’s
priority more than Turkey’s when negotiations were completed.
"We are self-confident that we will open and close chapters in coming
days," Bagis said during the Turkish-Italian Media and Economic Forum
held by the Turkish-Italian Friendship Association in the Turkish
city of Istanbul.
Bagis said that Turkey was facing some obstacles before negotiations
and membership, but there were not any countries that could not
complete negotiations.
The minister said that EU membership was a strategic target for Turkey,
an important project to become more contemporary but was not a sine
qua non condition.
"Turkey is not a country that would say ‘yes’ to every thing imposed
before it, just to become an EU member," Bagis said.
On relations with Armenia, the minister said that Turkey would continue
to assume a peaceful attitude, taking regional sensitivities into
consideration.
Turkey became an EU candidate country in December 1999. The union
launched accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005. (BRC)