PanARMENIAN.Net

Ankara pleased with EP report on Turkey
14.03.2009 19:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU
talks Egemen Bagis said Friday the adoption of a report on Turkey by
528 European Parliament (EP) deputies is an affirmation of Turkey’s
accession process.

Speaking to reporters at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport
after a trip to the Czech Republic, Bagis said that the EP report is
overall a balanced one.

Compared to the previous years, the EP report is more constructive and
makes a call to strengthen Turkey’s efforts for full membership to the
EU, Bagis said.

"The absence of â??1915 incidentsâ?? in the report
and a clear referral to PKK as a terrorist organization within the
report are very important. The EP report is the joint report of 27 EU
countries representing eight different political parties and it is a
balanced one," Bagis said.

In reference to a question on the upcoming visit of U.S. President
Barack Obama to Turkey, Bagis said that this visit is an indication of
where Turkey has come globally.

"Turkey is not merely a member of the UN Security Council. It is a
country that continues negotiations with the EU and runs the
Secretariat General of the Organization of Islamic Conference. The
fact that Turkey has become a country that is consulted with in global
matters should be a matter of pride for all of us," Bagis said.