PanARMENIAN.Net
Gul: EU should keep its promises
28.03.2009 14:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday that
keeping its promises was one of the fundamental principles of the
European Union (EU).
"The EU is well aware of Turkey’s influence and strategic importance,"
Gul told a news conference in Brussels.
Gul underlined the importance of his visit for giving a new momentum
to relations, raising Turkey’s interest in the EU process again after
Sunday’s local elections, and speeding up the EU membership bid.
He said that the EU had opened entry talks with Turkey on ten chapters
so far, and expressed the country’s expectation to begin negotiations
on new chapters.
Gul said that Turkey’s road map is clear, and appreciated the European
Commission’s efforts to maintain the process with good will.
"Maintaining this process was good for everybody’s best interests," he
said, adding that Turkey is not in a hurry and aimed to complete
negotiations with success.
Gul said the EU should always look into issues strategically. Turkey
became an EU candidate country in December 1999 and the union launched
accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005, Anatolian Agency
reports.