Turkish Press
May 2 2005

Press Review

Milliyet

SCHROEDER REITERATES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP, URGES
CONTINUATION OF ITS EU REFORMS

Speaking to Turkish daily Milliyet yesterday, German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder, who is due tomorrow to arrive in Turkey for
a two-day official visit, said that his country would continue to
support Ankara’s European Union membership, adding that Ankara needed
to continue its EU reforms. “Turkey has taken important steps since
last December’s EU summit, when it was decided to begin Ankara’s
accession talks on Oct. 3,” he said. “The talks will be difficult
and will last long, and Ankara’s reforms will determine the course of
talks.” Touching on the Cyprus issue, Schroeder said that the recent
election of Mehmet Ali Talat as president of the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) proved the willingness of the Turkish
Cypriots to reach a resolution on the island. During his two-day stay,
Schroeder is expected to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Cyprus, Iraq and the
so-called Armenian genocide. Later, he will proceed to Istanbul to
attend a Turkish-German Economic Congress. /Milliyet/