TAN: "ANKARA EXPECTS MORE CONCRETE STEPS FROM THE EU"

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Dec 28 2006

Speaking to reporters at his final press conference before taking his
post as Turkey’s ambassador to Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Namik Tan evaluated the recent state of Turkish-European Union
relations. Stressing the EU’s letter of invitation to begin accession
talks on the chapter on industry and organizations, Tan said that
Ankara had expected to begin talks on four chapters and so the current
situation falls short of meeting its expectations. "We hope that the
bloc will take more concrete steps in the coming days," the spokesman
said. Commenting on the Iraq issue, Tan said that Turkey has never
intended to interfere in Iraq’s domestic affairs. In addition,
concerning the revival of Armenian efforts in the US to pass a
so-called genocide resolution, Tan said that Turkey expected the US
to act with common sense. Tan will begin his tenure in Tel Aviv after
presenting his letter of credentials to Israeli President Moshe Katsav
on Jan. 22.