TURKEY’S EU TALKS SHOULD CONTINUE, SAYS HEAD OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.01.2007 15:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Union membership negotiations with Turkey
should continue despite last month’s partial freeze in talks on
December of 2006, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
and Italian Premier Romano Prodi said on Monday. In Barroso’s words,
in order to gain full membership Ankara must comply with all conditions
and criteria imposed by the European Union. Romano Prodi also said
Italy’s position on the issue is "identical" to the commission’s,
The Associated Press reports.

It’s worth reminding that talks between Turkey and Ankara were frozen
on 8 of 35 subjects because of Ankara’s refusal to open its ports
and airports for Cyprus. Turkey disputes the Greek Cypriot claim to
represent the whole island under the name of the "Republic of Cyprus"
and officially only recognizes the Turkish Cypriot State.