Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Jamila Jafarova - Trend:
The EU is to remain and will be one of Turkey's key partners not only in economic, but also in all other areas of international cooperation, Prof. Dr. Oktay Tanrisever, the chair of the area studies PhD program at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, told Trend on Jan. 8.
Tanrisever said the Turkey-EU relations are always important for both sides.
"I expect some form of dialogue could be revived if Turkey comes up with a new reform package after the scheduled general elections," he said.
However, Tanrisever added that until the elections, it is very unlikely to expect any major initiative from either side.
The official talks on Turkey's accession to the EU resumed in 2005.
Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said that Turkey's accession to the EU is no longer attractive for its citizens.
Turkish deputy prime minister, Bulent Arinc, said earlier that Turkey's accession to the EU is no longer attractive for the country's citizens.
He said that previously 75 percent of Turkey's population supported the country's accession to the EU, however now, this figure stands at 20 percent.
Turkey has fulfilled 65 percent of its commitments to the EU for accession to this organization.
Earlier, the Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir said the talks between Turkey and the EU can't continue in the format demanded by the organization.
Furthermore, the minister said that democracy in Turkey is at a higher level than in some European countries.
...
