TURKEY INDIGNANT ABOUT NOT BEING INVITED AT EU SUMMIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2007 14:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey criticized Germany on Tuesday for not inviting
the country, a candidate for European Union membership, to a summit
marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, saying it was a
missed opportunity to showcase a united European family.

European leaders are set to meet in Berlin on March 24-25 for a summit
marking the treaty that launched the European common market. They
are set to issue a declaration that they hope will give momentum to
prospects of an EU constitution and revive support among citizens
for the EU, which remains low in many member states.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Levent Bilman said in a statement
issued Tuesday that, while summit organizers were free to decide who
to invite, Turkey and other countries that hoped to join the bloc
should also have been asked to attend.

"Had Germany invited candidate countries to the event, it would have
served as a meaningful development that would have showcased the
unity of the European family," Bilman said.

The predominantly Muslim country began EU membership talks in October
2005, but EU leaders partially froze negotiations in December because
of Turkey’s refusal to open its ports to EU-member Cyprus.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit’s host, is skeptical about
Turkey joining the EU. In opposition, she called for a "privileged
partnership" for the mainly Muslim country that would fall short of
membership, reports International Herald Tribune.