Turkey has met its obligations as it pursues negotiations for membership in the European Union, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told participants in the closing session of the World Economic Forum in Turkey.
At a summit next month in Brussels, EU leaders will assess the progress of the talks, which have been hampered by the issue of Cyprus and Turkey's limits on the access of ships from the divided island to Turkish ports. “We have fulfilled whatever promises we made,” Erdogan said.
He added: “We know there are difficulties to come. But we are continuing to move forward with great patience. The responsibility falls more on the EU than on Turkey. We are looking for political common sense.” Approximately 400 business, government and civil society leaders from more than 40 countries participated in the two-day World Economic Forum in Turkey, the second such meeting since 1998.
Erdogan said that Turkey has implemented a range of economic, political and social reforms in an effort to meet EU requirements. The problems have been in the implementation of the new laws, he said. “This is a change of mentality. It is not something that happens overnight.”
While he acknowledged that public support for EU accession has fallen sharply among Turkish people, Erdogan insisted that “our people want to see Turkey as a free and prosperous partner of the free world. This is what Turkey deserves.
But sometimes some wrong and unjust views from the EU have had an impact on public opinion. The EU must understand this.” He stressed that Turkey's joining the EU would benefit both sides and contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world.
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