Turkey at crossroads over EU bid

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s bid to join the European Union is at crossroads, the country’s chief negotiator has said, urging the bloc that “the new EU cannot make it without Turkey.”

“Turkey is changing, so is Europe. New Europe cannot make it without Turkey” Turkish EU Minister Egemen Bağış said Thursday, during a conference held by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on European Perspectives of Turkish Foreign Policy. Expressing his hopes that results of elections in a number of EU countries, including France, would break the negative attitude towards Turkish membership in the block, Bağış underlined the importance of the growing Turkish market for European economies.

“We have been waiting 45 years to start negotiations. We have not given up and we will not give up. The EU reform process helped Turkey become a better country. All countries that began negations eventually joined the EU. We will not be an exception,” Bağış said. “We know we won’t enter the EU next week, but we deserve to be treated fairly.”