ANKARA (AA) - The European Union’s progress reports on Turkey should be fair, constructive, and encouraging so that those reports can be a driving force for change, Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek has said.
Turkey’s choice to be a member of the EU is fundamental and strategic, Cicek said after holding talks with the European Parliament’s rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten on Wednesday. Cicek told journalists that Turkey’s membership process has started 50 years ago and called it “a long wait,” and added that Turkish membership into EU is beneficial for both sides.
He blamed France and the Greek Cypriot side for blockage over Turkey’s EU process and said, “Turkey is wasting fuel on red light. Engine is on but Turkey cannot move.” Cicek also slammed European Union for its refusal to let Turkish citizens to travel freely within the EU although Ankara is in a negotiation process and also a member of the Customs Union.
In response, Dutch rapporteur Oomen-Ruijten said Turkey should look to the future instead of past. She said reforms are applied when Justice and Development (AK) Party came into power and praised Turkey has taken important steps regarding the Copenhagen Criteria, a set of conditions that any country has to meet to be a member of EU. “The democratization package pleased us. But they have to be implemented.”
The package announced by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 30 September is aimed to enlarge sphere of freedoms in Turkey. Dutch rapporteur defended EU annual reports on Turkey by saying that the reports are objective and balanced.
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