Anadolu Agency
July 20 2004

Erdogan: We Want A Date For Opening Of Accession Talks With E.U.

PARIS – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday,
”Turkey wants a date not for full membership, but for opening of
accession talks with the European Union (EU).”

Prime Minister Erdogan, who is currently paying a state visit to
France, met members of the French Parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Commission.

During the meeting, Erdogan informed members of the commission on
historical development of the bilateral relations between Turkey and
France.

Upon a question about Turkey’s EU membership process, Prime Minister
Erdogan said, ”Turkey wants a date not for full membership, but for
opening of accession talks with the EU.”

Referring to recent developments in Iraq, Prime Minister Erdogan
said, ”Turkey has always advocated that Iraq’s territorial integrity
should be protected, and none of ethnical groups in the country
should be allowed to be dominant over another.”

Upon a question about so-called Armenian genocide, Prime Minister
Erdogan said, ”it is an issue with which historians should deal. As
politicians, we are obliged to build the future instead of discussing
such issues. Armenian diaspora has been trying to keep the so-called
Armenian genocide high on agenda. In fact, it is not beneficial for
Armenia at all. The bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia
cannot be improved as long as such campaigns continue. If they put an
end to their campaign of defamation against Turkey, border gates
between Turkey and Armenia may be opened.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress