PM SPEAKS OUT ON RECENT EU REPORT AS HE ATTENDS OECD MEET
IPR Strategic Business Information Database
October 25, 2004
According to Milliyet, speaking at a press conference at an
Organization of the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting
in Paris, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had
adopted all the values represented by the European Union, adding that
the Turkish nation favored these values being established. Erdogan
stressed that the decision on starting Ankara’ds EU talks at its
December summit would be a turning point not only for Turkish-EU
relations but also for the new world order. The premier further
stressed that he hoped Ankara’ds accession talks would begin as soon as
possible. Asked about the so- called Armenian genocide, Erdogan said
that Turkey was comfortable with the issue, adding that it should be
evaluated by historians and scholars. Also touching on the Cyprus
issue, Erdogan lamented the Turkish Cypriots’d continued exclusion from
the EU despite their approval of the UN Cyprus plan, while the Greek
Cypriots who rejected the plan had joined the Union.